Destinies Aligned
by Astrid Midnight
Summary: One fateful night, four girls are found scattered across the world of Eos with no memory of their lives before and become connected to the Prince of Lucis and the Oracle of Tenebrae in amazing ways. Now, years later, they must reunite to help banish a darkness that threatens the world they live in whilst recovering their memories of the one they have forgotten.
1. Prologue

**So I've seen many crossover fics where the FFXV boys are in the world of Remnant and not as much where the RWBY girls are in Eos. Then I started thinking that if I wanted to read that story, I should write it myself. So here we are!**

 **I have to say, I'm both excited and nervous to write this story. I'm either going to write until it's finished or just give up half way (hopefully the former).**

 **Also, this is a superlong prologue (four-thousand-and-something-words, not including notes, just a pre-warning) but I wanted to get it all in one chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to** **© Rooster Teeth** **and** **© Square Enix** **respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

 **M.E. 741, Lucis, 9:43pm**

The cold, chilling rain was pouring down upon the kingdom of Lucis late at night. People were either rushing for refuge from the rain or were on their way home from their work. However, Cor Leonis was neither the former or the latter. Instead, the marshal of the Crownsguard was on patrol at the edge of the city, near the Wall that protected Lucis from any threats. He was very focused on his task, not letting any distractions hinder him as he was looking out for any possible threats. He found nothing of the sort, of course, since the Wall provided both protection and peace for the citizens.

When he finished his shift and headed backward to the Citadel, something strange caught his eye. Whilst the majority of soldiers were still on guard, a few of them were huddled around something, confusion drawn across their faces. Cor pushed his way through the small crowd so that he could get a better look. "What's going on here?", he demanded.

Just as he was about to get a response, the sound of high-pitch crying answered for him. He looked down to find a small box and when he knelt down another loud cry joined the first one. What he found bewildered him: two babies bundled up in blankets were cuddled up next to each, crying their little hearts out. The first one was a girl with bright blonde hair and lilac eyes and the one next to her was a slightly smaller girl with dark red hair and peculiar silver eyes. Cor leaned over the box slightly, trying to shield the children from the rain as best as he could.

"What is the meaning of this?", he asked in disbelief.

"We just found them here, sir.", one soldier answered.

"Did you see anything or anyone suspicious?", the marshal asked.

"No, sir."

Cor narrowed his eyes at the children. He had wondered how someone could've dropped off the children right by the Citadel without anyone noticing. And the fact that the children, blankets and box were barely drenched leading Cor to believe that they must've been dropped off recently. But by who?

A quiet sniffle snapped Cor from his thoughts and saw that the babies' crying had cease. The one with the silver eyes looked frightened and miserable and Cor couldn't blame her; being abandoned in the dark, cold night must've been terrifying for the small child. Looking to the blonde one, he saw that she was looking up at Cor with interest although her eyes were tired and puffy from all of the crying.

His attention then went to the blankets the two were bundled up in, seeing a small piece of paper attached to each one. The words were slightly smudged from the rain, but Cor could just about make them out.

The redhead's one said: Ruby.

The blonde's: Yang.

After a few more moments, Cor got to his feet, bringing the box up with him. He decided to take them inside with him and see if he could find any records of their parents or families. If he couldn't, the least he could do was look after them until he figured out a plan. "Return to your posts. I shall deal with the matter." The soldiers nodded reluctantly and left Cor with the children.

"C'mon.", he said. To his surprise the two babies had huddled together making a tangled mess of their blankets and had fallen back to sleep, uncaring of the coldness around them. "Let's see if we can find your parents." He couldn't imagine what they could possibly be feeling.

Readjusting his jacket over the sleeping babies so that rain wasn't hitting them, he made his way into the Citadel to find any information on the children.

* * *

He didn't find anything at the Citadel.

Cor had spent the last few hours going over the records of children born in the last few years but hadn't found anything on 'Ruby' or 'Yang'. He had tried everything from different versions to different spellings of the names in case he read the notes wrong. But no, these children were not from Lucis. The soldier was now wondering where these kids had come from, but the only explanation he could come up with is that they weren't born in the kingdom. However, this then got him to wonder how they could've gotten past the barrier. He buried his face into his hands. This was getting complicated.

A slight gurgle drew him from his thoughts and looked at the box of two children next to him. Ruby had woken up and instead of crying out like Cor expected her to, she started giggling and held her arms out as if wanting him to pick her up. Sighing, he gathered her up in his arms and began rocking her back and forth, unsure of what to do. Yang had also woken up and was looking at the other baby with narrow eyes, as if jealous.

Cor remained this way for a while before looking at the child and noticed something… off.

Readjusting the blanket, he could see a mysterious necklace around the baby's neck. In any other circumstance, Cor probably would've thought nothing of it but something about this necklace threw him his off a little. The small crystal resting on her chest was glowing a bright red, giving off a pulsating hum and Cor could feel a warm energy radiating off of it. He hovered a finger over it and found that it gave him a small zap in reaction. Looking at Yang, he moved her blanket around and saw a similar one around her neck, only this one was a golden yellow.

He put Ruby back down next to Yang, who fumble embraced the smaller baby, letting a small laugh. If these necklaces were potentially magic this just opened a whole new array of questions as to who these children really were.

A small knock broke the silence and a guard quietly stepped in. "Yes?", Cor asked.

"Cor Leonis-", the guard said. "-the king requests an audience with you." His gaze went down and Cor followed it, realising that he was looking at the laughing babies. Cor groaned internally. He had turned up to the Citadel with two random babies, of course that was going to raise some questions.

Clearing his throat, he straightened up and picked up the children. "Of course. I'll be right there."

* * *

Cor stood uncomfortably in the middle of the throne room with King Regis Lucis Caelum sitting at his throne, looking at the younger man with bewilderment and disbelief. The awkward silence was broken by the children laughing, causing a few guards at the door to chuckle in response and ceased their laughter before Cor could turn around and give them a chilling death glare.

"Care to explain, Cor?", the king simply asked.

The man shifted his weight onto one foot. "They were found outside the Citadel." Regis made a gesture with his hand, as if prompting him to continue. "Their names are Ruby and Yang. There are no records on them or their families."

The king nodded in understanding and motioned for Cor to bring them closer. He stepped up to the dais and Regis looked into the box. The two babies cooed at the sight at Regis and the king gave them a friendly smile.

"The only explanation I can think of is that they were born outside the city."

Regis furrowed his eyebrows. "If that's the case then how could they have passed through the Wall?"

Cor shook his head. "I do not know, Your Majesty." He looked down at the children, remembering the other thing that he found. "But there is something that you might want to see." He reached into the box and moved the blankets around so that the king could clearly see the glowing crystal each baby had.

The marshal could already see the change in the king's face as he took in the sight. Regis reached out a hand towards the two. The ring on his finger pulsated with magic as it got closer and the red and yellow light glowed even brighter, the warm glows overlapping each other. The king recoiled.

He could sense a magic not familiar to him but it didn't feel dark. If anything it felt like light energy, like the one he was used to using. Nothing about the children struck him as dangerous or destructive about the children or even the crystals. However, they were obviously not of their world.

The children looked up at the king again and giggled. Ruby reached out a small hand reached out and grabbed hold of one of the king's fingers and suckled on it whilst Yang reached up to pat his hand, giggling loudly. Both children were oblivious to the troubles around them and Regis smiled softly at them.

If two mysterious children showed up on his doorstep with a magic like he had never seen before, Regis knew exactly what to do next. He looked at Cor and slowly reached his arms out towards the box. "May I?", he asked.

Cor was caught off guard for a moment before nodding. "Of course, Your Majesty.", he replied and then wordlessly handed the children to the king.

The king stood up and began to descend the stairs. "If you will excuse me, Cor." He didn't wait for the marshal to answer.

* * *

It was peculiar for King Regis for approaching the Crystal chamber late into the night but none of the guards questioned him. He made his way down the walkway with the two children in his arms. As he walked, Ruby and Yang seemed to be squabbling but at the same time… not. They were lightly hitting and knocking each other on the head but were squirming and giggling whilst doing it. Regis shook his head. His child, Noctis, was just as fussy at this age.

He stopped in his tracks when he was directly in front of the Crystal. It was glowing bright blue, purple and red colours and the light radiated from the large gap of the Crystal. Regis looked down, not wanting the Crystal in his sight.

"You know why I'm here, don't you?"

A few beats of silence and a deep, guttural voice came from the Crystal.

 _"Yes, I do."_

"What reason do you have to send these two innocent children to my doorstep?"

 _"A looming darkness threatens this world and another."_

"Another?", Regis interrupted.

 _"The prophesied King of Light is destined to restore the light to the world. The King and Oracle must stand together to save the two worlds but they cannot do it alone. Four girls have been sent from the other world to assist them and the power they hold shall assist in the fight against a long forgotten darkness."_

"King of Light… long forgotten darkness…", Regis repeated, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. He didn't fully understand what the Crystal was saying and was dreading what would come next.

 _"Come forth, king, and see for yourself."_

The voice went silent.

Regis looked down at Ruby and Yang, who now looked as if they were cowering in fear of the low, booming voice and he could understand why. He quietly soothed them before walking closer to the Crystal, one arm extended out.

His hand was only inches away from touching the glowing rock and a warm light enveloped him.

* * *

Cor didn't see the king leave the chamber for three hours since he entered. He was pacing back and forth outside, unsure what to make of the whole situation. He and Regis had silently agreed that something was off about the children's sudden appearance and the magic they seemed to be in possession of.

But they also agreed that there was nothing dangerous about the children. They were only babies, they would pose no threat to them. He wondered where they came from and who left them there. Were they intentionally left there for them to find? Given the strange crystals they were found with, that felt familiar to the magic they used, it was was definitely a possibility. Hopefully, Regis' 'encounter' with the Crystal would shed some light on what was going on.

The click of the door caused Cor's head to snap up to find Regis reemerging from the chamber, cradling the box still holding the children in one arm and closing the door behind him with the other. The corridor was dimly lit, but the marshal could see the king's eyes puffy and red, as if he had been crying. What did he see to cause such a reaction?

"Your Majesty?", he asked reluctantly.

The king smiled at him and Cor didn't mention the fact that he could clearly see the sorrow behind his grin.

"What I saw…" He looked down the floor trying to regain his composure and looked back up after a while. "It is best if Ruby and Yang stay here. Where they shall be safe." Regis could see that Cor wanted him to elaborate, but the king shook his head. "I apologise, this is not the time to talk about it, Cor."

On instinct, Cor quickly bowed. "N-no, I-I understand, Your Majesty." When he straightened up, his eyes softened. "If there is anything that I can do…"

That night, Regis quietly thanked Cor for his assistance and relieved him of duty for the night, promising that they would discuss the matter in the morning.

Regis briskly walked down the corridors of the palace until he abruptly stopped at the door of his son's room. He stood there for what felt like hours before he mustered up the courage to quietly open the door and enter Noctis' room. He gingerly eased himself down the edge of his bed and carefully ran a hand through his raven hair.

The contact caused the young boy to stir and his eyes fluttered open, revealing vibrant but exhausted blue orbs. He groaned and when he felt a weight on the end of his bed, he slowly sat up, rubbing his tired eyes. He was a little caught off guard to see his father there with a small box beside him. When he was about to ask his father what was going on, he caught himself when he saw that he looked like he had been crying.

"Dad?", the young prince asked. "What's wrong?" The second the words left his mouth, Regis wrapped his arms around his son. He held him tightly as if letting go would cause him great harm. He sat and simply held him and had to hold back the fresh tears threatening to spill out. Noctis spoke again, but Regis didn't catch what he said and wordlessly released his son, one hand on his shoulder and the other cupping his face.

The prince's eyes travelled to the box his father had carried in and after readjusting his sight from sleep, he could see two babies. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Dad, who are they?"

Regis smiled gently and set the box in between them. The babies were now sitting up and their eyes instantly brightened at the sight of Noctis. They babbled excitedly and the young boy reluctantly reached out to them. The redhead had latched onto his hand, like she did with Regis, but the blonde one reached out and gently patted Noctis on the cheek. The boy let out a surprised laugh, causing the babies to laugh as well. Noctis slyly repeated the child's action and then squeaked when the other suckled on his pinky.

The king smiled, joyed to see the three children getting along so well already.

"Son, this is Ruby.", he gestured to the redhead. "And Yang.", and then to the blonde.

Perhaps they could help his son in ways that he couldn't.

"Your new sisters."

* * *

 **M.E. 741, Tenebrae, 10:23pm**

In Fenestala Manor, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret was fast asleep in her bed chamber. The moonlight was peeking in through the windows, bathing the room in a soft blue glow. Her long blonde hair was splayed over her pillow and the young girl was curled up under the blankets.

The peaceful silence was disturbed when a cream coloured dog slipped into the room and quietly padded over to Lunafreya's bed. The dog put her front paws on the edge of the bed and whined, quietly nudging the girl with her nose.

Lunafreya stirred and woke up confused to see her dog this late into the night. "Pryna?", she asked tiredly. "What is it?" The small dog didn't answer. Instead she nudged the princess' hand as if trying to coax her out of bed. Lunafreya was too exhausted to comprehend what her dog wanted and was on the verge of falling back asleep again. All of a sudden, Pryna jumped up onto the girl's lap, causing her to squeal in bewilderment. The dog began barking at her and Lunafreya tried to quiet her down before she drew attention to them. Pryna jumped off of the bed and shuffled to the door, still barking.

The princess groaned internally. It seemed that Pryna wouldn't leave her alone until she saw what she wanted. She just hoped that it was important.

She slipped out of bed and put on her slippers and nightgown before stealthily easing herself out of her room and followed the dog down the hallway. Pryna practically bounded down the corridor whilst Lunafreya tried to jog as quietly as she could.

Her jaw practically dropped when she realised that her dog had led her to the garden. She reluctantly turned her head back, watching out for anyone that might catch her. She stepped out into the garden, the blue sylleblossom flowers tickling her legs.

"Pryna.", she called out, her voice barely above a whisper. "What are you trying to show me?"

The dog lowly whined in response and was surprised to hear another growl in response. Picking up the pace, she saw something that surprised her beyond comprehension. A small black and white dog was curled up against another young girl who couldn't have been more than four years old. The smaller dog perked up at the two new faces and growled, standing protectively in front of the small girl.

Lunafreya slowly inched forward with a hand out to the dog. "It's okay.", she soothed. "I'm not going to hurt you." After a while, the dog sniffed her hand and hesitantly nuzzled it. Having the dog's trust, Lunafreya made her way towards the small child.

The girl was sniffling softly and her face was buried in her hands, soft white hair covering her face. "Hello?", the princess asked. The child's head snapped up, revealing inquisitive blue eyes. Her face scrunched up like she was about to cry.

"It's alright. I won't hurt you.", she said with a friendly smile. She reached out a hand and, after a moment of reluctance, the girl with white hair took her hand. The two children sat there quietly for a moment, their dogs watching them intently. A few beats past and the smaller girl began to cry and wrapped her thin arms around the princess' waist.

Lunafreya was caught by surprise but soon regained her composure and rubbed the girl's back in comfort. "Shhh.", she hushed softly, trying to calm her down.

The two of them remained that way for a short while until she heard some rustling from behind her. "Sister? What is the meaning of this?" Lunafreya turned around to find her older brother, Ravus, standing behind her with a stern expression. "The servants told me that you left your bed chamber to follow Pryna out of the manor."

The child squirmed and clung to the princess tighter. "I found this girl lying in the grass. I do not know where she came from."

The older Fleuret sibling's expression softened when he saw the frightened child. He knelt down next to his sister. He looked between her and the young girl. "Who do you suppose left her here? How could they have gotten into the manor."

Lunafreya shook her head. "I do not know, but if she was left here then maybe we were meant to find her." She looked to Pryna, who was sniffing excitedly at the other dog. "What do you propose we do, Ravus?"

Ravus sighed. "I suggest that we tell mother of this matter immediately. It does seem a tad suspicious that a random child was left in our garden of all places."

"Weiss.", a third voice interjected. The two siblings whipped around to see a tall woman with long jet black hair wearing a black and gold dress with a white shawl draped around her back and over her arms. She knelt next to the children as she spoke softly. "Her name is Weiss and her dog is named Zwei."

"Gentiana?", Lunafreya asked in disbelief. "How…?"

The older woman smiled and pointed between the two of them. "There's a note on grass and a tag on her dog."

"We need to help her, Gentiana.", Lunafreya immediately exclaimed. "What should we do?"

The woman's expression softened and motioned for the princess to hand the child over to her and 'Weiss' reluctantly wrapped her arms around her as Gentiana picked her up. "Leave it to me.", she said and the the siblings followed her back into the manor.

* * *

"So you found her in garden?", Queen Sylva asked. Gentiana was still holding Weiss, who was on the verge of falling asleep. Ravus and Lunafreya were standing both sides of her.

"Yes, Pryna led me to her, mother.", Lunafreya answered. "Her name is Weiss."

The queen of Tenebrae frowned slightly as she approached them. Weiss looked at Sylva with curiosity and nervously bit her nails, unsure of what was going on.

"We cannot simply leave her, mother.", Ravus added. "If she's an orphan, she will not have any place to go."

"And look how Umbra and Pryna are getting along with Zwei!", Lunafreya exclaimed, pointing to the group of dogs that were playing together. "It's like they're friends already!"

Sylva sighed and reached out to stroke Weiss' soft hair, causing the girl to relax in response. Her smile was infectious as it caused Lunafreya, Ravus and even Gentiana to smile as well. The queen's eye caught a glowing light blue crystal around her next, piquing her interest. She could sense a strange energy radiating off of it, like nothing she had ever seen before. Her eyes met Gentiana's and was met with a expression that said that both women knew more than they were letting on. It was definitely not a coincidence that Weiss was found with a potentially magic crystal near their manor, home to the line of the Oracle.

She regained her composure and gave Weiss a loving smile. "Well, if we cannot find her parents, Weiss is more than welcome to stay here."

Lunafreya beamed and looked up to the younger girl. "Weiss?", she asked.

The white-haired girl looked to each person one by one before looking at Lunafreya and returned her smile. "Yes please.", she said shyly. "I'd like that."

* * *

 **M.E. 741, Niflheim, 8:54pm**

In the capital city of the Empire, Gralea, Verstael Besithia was hard at work in the laboratories. Part of the time, the Emperor or other high-ranking authorities would give him a new task to work on, but mostly they left him to his own devices. He was shuffling around in his red clothing and cape writing down notes and pressing various buttons on several devices.

"Besithia? Hard at work?", a low voice asked.

The researcher looked up from his work to see a familiar dark purple-haired man dressed in his usual flamboyant clothes and scowled. "Chancellor Ardyn Izunia? What reason have you got to be in the laboratories this time of night?", he snapped.

The chancellor pouted and put a hand over his heart. "Such harsh words, Besithia. I'm hurt." He dumped a large box onto the table. "Even after I brought you a gift."

Verstael frowned and pulled the box closer to him to examine. Opening it up, he wasn't sure of what he would find. He definitely expect to find a child. She looked to be about four years old. She was lying fast asleep in the box, covered in grime and dirt, clothes torn and ripped and black hair cascading over her slim shoulders. "A child?! Is this some sort of joke to you, Izunia?!"

"Besithia, please, not so loud. Blake will be offended if you call her a 'joke'.", Ardyn said mockingly.

"'Blake'?"

"Your new… pet project.", Ardyn replied slyly.

Verstael crossed his arms. "And why should I care for a common street rat?", he spat.

The Imperial chancellor raised an eyebrow before readjusting the excuse for a blanket the girl was covered with. Verstael's eyes must've been playing tricks on him; the girl had _cat ears_.

The scientist stuttered. "Is this child a daemon or something?"

Ardyn shook his head in amusement. "She is just as human as anyone else.", he said with a chuckle. "I thought she'd be of use to you." The scientist examined the girl: yes, she had the ears, but everything else about her appearance wise pointed to this 'Blake' child being a mere human.

"Anything else?", he asked.

The chancellor bit his lip as if in thought and then shrugged. "No. Nothing that comes to mind." Not even a beat later: "Oh!" He pulled out a small purple crystal attached to a silver chain and dangled it in front of the scientist. "This was found on her person."

The dark crystal thrummed with a low groan and when Verstael touched it slightly, it almost felt like he was burned. He recoiled. "Lucian magic?", he asked in disbelief.

Ardyn quickly pulled the necklace back. "No, something better."

Verstael reeled back. "Alright, what do you want, Izunia?"

The chancellor gaped exaggeratedly. "What makes you think I want something?" He could tell that Verstael wasn't buying his innocent act. Ardyn smirked. "Besithia, I have a proposition for you: I handle any matters to do with this…" He twirled the chain of the necklace around his finger. "… 'magic', and I will ensure that the Empire will allow your experiments on Blake, under my supervision, of course."

The scientist blanched. "Is that all?", Verstael asked incredulously. The chancellor nodded. "Then so be it."

Ardyn made a bowing action whilst taking off his hat and holding it to chest. "I promise that you will not regret this, Verstael.", he said as sincerely as possible. He replaced his hat on his head. "I'm sure Blake will help the world in great ways. I hope she proves to be more successful than your other experiment." Verstael's eyes flashed with anger but didn't say a word to the chancellor. And with that, Ardyn Izunia exited the room.

He heard the girl stir awake and had curled up into a ball in fear when she saw Verstael. The man knelt down so that he was at eye level with her and tried to to smile as friendly as possible. "Hello, Blake. My name is Verstael. You were brought here when you found on the streets all alone."

Blake scratched behind her ear as she looked around. "Where am I?"

"This is Gralea, the most secure place in Niflheim." The child tilted her head to the side in confusion. "Do not worry about that, Blake. I can assure you that you are perfectly safe here." Blake rubbed at her eyes tiredly. "I would like to just run a few tests and to make sure that you are healthy. Is that alright?"

Blake stared at him and then nodded hesitantly. He seemed nice enough, she could trust him, right?

"Thank you, Blake." Vestael soon began extracting a few blood samples and then attached an IV line to her arm that administered medicine and nutrients to the pale and sickly child. Once the test results came back, the scientist couldn't believe his eyes. Blake's blood definitely wasn't human but it wasn't daemon either. She was something else, a completely different species. He couldn't believe the opportunity that had been presented to him. An inhuman person had been delivered to him and he was going to be the one to unlock the potential and mysteries behind it.

"You are really special. Do you know why, Blake?" The child shook her head. "Because you, my dear, are going to help change the world."

* * *

Outside the laboratory, Chancellor Izunia held the crystal up to eye level and chuckled sinisterly.

* * *

 _That night, the fate of two worlds had been decided._

* * *

 **Side notes: I have changed the the girls' ages that will differ slightly to each other (during the game's main story)** **, there is a reason why Weiss has Zwei instead of Ruby and Yang which will become apparent later and (completely irrelevant note) writing Verstael totally makes me think of the song 'Lusus Naturae' (from Grimm Eclipse).**

 **What do you think? Should I continue? Would love to hear some feedback!**


	2. Chapter 1

**I would like to thank everyone who has read, reviewed, favourited and followed this story so far! It means a lot that you're all enjoying it!**

 **Since this is a crossover and AU, backstory, canon information and lore will (most likely) be changed but this story will contain spoilers for both FFXV and RWBY. I doubt this will be finished by the time Volume 5 of RWBY comes out, so just make sure you've watched Volume 4 just to be on the safe side.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to** **© Rooster Teeth** **and** **© Square Enix** **respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

Ever since the arrival of the two children, Noctis bonded quickly with his new sisters and treated them as if they were always part of the family. When he asked his father where they came from, Regis replied that they were two girls looking for a new home and with that, the prince did all he could to make them feel welcomed to the family.

Ruby and Yang struggled to set into their new home at first, what with being welcomed into a strange, new place, no idea of where they came from and the overwhelming number of retainers doting over them. The two of them brightened up whenever Noctis or Regis were around since they only warmed up to them and took quite a bit of time to trust the servants they were sometimes left alone with.

Noctis spent most of his time playing with Ruby and Yang and Regis quickly noticed how much happier the prince was than usual. Yang's energetic personality always put a smile on his face and Ruby's laughter was just plain contagious. It was never a dull moment in the palace as Noctis was sometimes seen giving his sisters piggyback rides down the halls, often roping his childhood friend and retainer, Ignis, into their fun and games.

The additions to the royal family was met with enthusiasm from the people and, while they weren't of royal blood, many believed that the two new princesses of Lucis would bring even more joy to the kingdom.

Three years later, the three Lucian children were involved in a life-threatening accident. They were on their way back from an outing late at night when a daemon began attacking the cars the children were in. They didn't have time to react when explosions wrecked the area and a retainer grabbed each of the children and began to flee from the monster. The Marilith daemon seemed to be fixated on Noctis and used its arms to slash at the prince and his protector. Noctis didn't even register that had been pushed to the ground or that his retainer's body was bleeding out from above him. He could faintly hear several cars race onto the scene and saw several luminescent blades attack the creature. He just about registered the new arrivals ease him out from under the dead body and tend to his own wounds.

The sound of blades clashing together drew Noctis' attention towards the sight of his father fighting the daemon. He squinted his eyes to see two guards carrying Ruby and Yang to safety and frantically placed into the cars. Once the monster was dealt with, Regis got confirmation from his men that his daughters were okay and turned to see Noctis losing consciousness.

The three of them were immediately rushed back to the Citadel and taken to the healers. Yang had only suffered from a broken ankle caused by their frantic flee from the daemon and the explosions that followed afterwards and Ruby had a sprained wrist and a small slash across her shoulder. With the healers, their injuries were easily mended as if they weren't harmed in the first place. However, the experience was still fresh in their minds. Ruby had clung to her attendant, burying her face into his shoulder trying to block out the cries and screams of people and daemon alike. Yang could only stare in horror as the monster chased after Noctis and the remaining retainers fruitlessly trying to save and defend him.

Their brother had been separated from the girls as he had lost consciousness before they made it back to the palace. Hours had past and they still didn't hear anything about Noctis' condition. They were still with the doctors with Ignis and Gladiolus, the prince's future bodyguard, when they finally heard the news. Cor had entered the room and Ruby immediately ran up to him and threw her arms around him, not caring about her still healing wrist. The marshal sighed solemnly and returned the embrace. The news he was bringing was not good. Not only had Noctis suffered from grave physical injuries but he had also fallen into a coma. The four children stood in stunned silence for several moments before Yang asked if they could see him. Cor was slightly reluctant but seeing the heartbroken look on all of their faces, he couldn't deny them this. Ignis and Gladio allowed the two girls to go without them since the king would probably only allow family to see the prince this early into the tragedy.

They entered the room to find Noctis lying peacefully in his bed, his face, arms and body cleaned from all of the blood. He was dressed in clean clothes and Regis was holding a fragile hand in his hand. The king's face was worn and tired and the dried tears were prominent on his cheeks. When he heard his daughters come in, he looked like his heart was about to break. Ruby and Yang immediately rushed over to their father and clung to him and began to sob. He used his free arm to embrace his daughters and allowed a fresh waves of silent tears to cascade down. After a while, he slowly stood up from his chair so that the girls could sit closer to their brother. Ruby leaned her head forward so that it was gently resting on Noctis' shoulder, quietly begging for him to wake up. Yang ran a hand through the prince's raven hair and then bent down to give him a soft kiss on his forehead.

The three of them sat there in silence, looking at their prince with grave expressions. There was no telling when Noctis would wake up and that made them fear the worst. Ruby gripped her father's cloak and buried her face in his chest. "He'll be alright, dad, right?"

Regis looked down for his eyes to meet hopeful but fearful eyes. How could give supporting words to his children when he had no way of knowing what was going to happen next? He had failed his children. He may of saved them from death but he made a promise to protect them; they shouldn't have been in danger in the first place. If he had been faster in getting there, he could've stopped it all.

He immediately ceased his self-loathing. He should be grateful for the miracle that saved his children. He drew Ruby into his arms and took Yang's hand, who was still sitting by her brother's bedside. The blonde turned and Regis had to do all he could to not break down at the sight of their sad faces. "Yes, of course." He took in a shuddering breath. "Noctis will be fine. He'll be just fine."

The following morning was when others were allowed to see Noctis. Ignis tried his best to keep his composure but when he went to put one hand on his shoulder and the other to take his, he couldn't stifle his sniffles and had to remove his glasses to wipe at his eyes. Once he calmed himself he began to softly speak to his friend. Gladiolus sat on the prince's bedside in silence. He wasn't exactly a fan of Noctis and his stubborn attitude during their training sessions and didn't really consider him a friend. But after hearing about his grave injury, it made the boy realise that he cared for the prince and made a promise to try better with him after everything was over.

For the next few weeks, Ruby spent most of her time by Noctis' bedside trying to lighten the mood by talking to him and telling him funny stories about what was going on in the palace, Ignis was sometimes seen reading to him and Yang and Gladio made various jokes about Cor actually showing emotion.

Everyone in the palace tried to stay positive, but they all wanted one thing: they wanted their prince back.

One night, the king came to the prince's room with a present. He had placed a crystalline fox-like figure with a small horn on its head next to his bedside. When Ruby and Yang asked what it was, Regis replied that it's someone who will protect Noctis in his dreams, which gave the children reassurance. His heart broke the two girls he already considered his own. If he couldn't protect Noctis, how could he protect them?

Hope shone through one morning when the king heard Noctis stir in his bed. When he woke up, his voice sounded weak and confused but his father asserted him to save his energy. Relief tore through Regis' heart as he made a vow to protect Noctis, Ruby and Yang. He spent a while by his bedside smiling softly and comforting his injured son before getting up and silently telling a healer to bring his daughters in.

Not even minutes later, Ruby and Yang burst into the room and Noctis visibly brightened at the sight of his sisters. Being careful of his injuries and with the help his father, he sat up so that he could embrace the two girls and Regis wrapped his arms around them.

The sound of Ignis and Gladio stumbling into the room caught them off guard. They hastily bowed before the king and couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Noctis awake. They approached the bed and the sisters broke away so that Ignis could hug Noctis and Gladio putting a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Everyone remained silent in that moment, grateful that their prince lived to see another day.

* * *

Even with the healer's help, Noctis' injuries still weren't mending, causing worry to spread throughout the palace. Regis was conflicted at first but he contacted his old friend, Queen Sylva and Oracle of Tenebrae and requested if they could make a personal visit for Noctis to receive medical care. The queen replied that they were more than welcome and they would do all they could to help the young prince.

Regis had agreed to let Ruby and Yang accompany them on their trip and the four of them set off to Tenebrae as soon as they could. Easing Noctis out of the car and into his wheelchair, Regis motioned them towards Fenestala manor and the king began to wheel Noctis in with Ruby and Yang by his side.

The prince's spirits were noticeably lower ever since his accident. He was uncharacteristically quiet and rarely took part in conversations, only giving mere quiet 'yes' or 'no's to what he was asked. Regis was visibly disheartened at his change demeanour and only hoped that this visit would do him so good. He could also see that his sisters were also trying to bring him out of the shell he retreated into. Whenever Ruby struggled to cheer Noctis up she looked to Yang for assistance but the older girl was just as lost as she was.

"Come on, Noct.", Yang piped up. "Lighten up a bit. You're gonna depress everyone in there if you don't at least smile a bit."

The prince rested his head on his non-injured arm, averting his gaze. "Sorry.", he mumbled.

Ruby laughed nervously and playfully punched her sister in the shoulder. "Don't listen to her, Noct. I'm sure they'd love you regardless." She visibly cringed at her choice of words immediately after but the prince didn't seemed to be listening.

Regis decided to take charge of the conversation. "From what Sylva has told me, her children sound very lovely. I think her youngest is around you age, Ruby, Yang." The two girls beamed up at their father. He looked down to his son. "And apparently, Lunafreya is looking forward to meet you, Noct. I am sure the two of you will get along well." Noctis only hummed in response.

The king sighed. He had blamed himself for his son's accident, for not being able to reach him in time and now he was no longer the happy, vibrant son that he knew. He just wanted to see his son smile again.

He could only hope the Fleurets could do a better job than he was.

Waiting for Lucian royals inside the manor was the Fleurets, Queen Sylva standing in the middle of the room with Ravus and Lunafreya standing beside her and the youngest sibling was hiding behind her mother, slightly nervous to meet new people. Sylva quietly reassured Weiss that it was okay but the girl didn't budge.

Not knowing what to do is response, Ruby broke the silence by jumping and extended her hand out to the shy girl, introducing herself in the progress. With her mother's soothing urgings, Weiss reluctantly stepped out from behind her and shook her hand. Yang stepped forward and did the same, smiling at her. That encouraged Weiss to step out from behind her and quietly said her name.

Lunafreya stepped forward and introduced herself with Ravus following in her stead. Ruby and Yang replied enthusiastically although Noctis remained silent. At the king's urging, he replied silently. Lunafreya was a little surprised, but nevertheless she smiled warmly at him.

The three Lucian children were settled into their rooms but Noctis was reluctant to approach the Nox Fleuret siblings, with Yang trying and failing to make conversation and Ruby quietly fidgeting on the bed.

Weiss could see their struggles and quietly whispered a suggestion into Lunafreya's ear. She nodded with a grin and Weiss quietly excused herself. A few moments later, Weiss reentered the room with three dogs who barked excitedly and began running around the room.

Ruby shot up from the bed and ran over to them. "You have dogs!?"

Weiss picked up the small black and white one and held him out for Ruby to hold. "This is Zwei."

The redhead began to pet him and the dog nuzzled her hand. "He's so cute!"

Yang had slowly approached the cream coloured dog and knelt down to pet her, like Ravus was and introduced the dog as Pryna. The blonde held here hand out and giggled when the dog licked her hand.

Lunafreya was glad to see them all bonding so quickly, but could see that Noctis was still keeping to himself. Getting an idea, she picked up the third dog, Umbra, and brought him over to the wheelchair. Noctis looked up at the princess timidly.

"Would you like to pet him, Prince Noctis?", she asked, smiling as friendly as she could. She had heard that the prince was feeling quite down after his accident and, sympathetic at the news, Lunafreya wanted to do all she could to cheer him up.

"Um…", the prince said. "Sure… thanks." He reached out a hand and began stroking the dog's soft fur. Almost immediately, the dog leaned forward and began licking the prince's face. He squirmed at first and Lunafreya was ready to pull the dog away, convinced that she made a terrible mistake, when the the prince began to laugh. He tried to bat the dog away only making it more determined in what it was doing.

"Get him off!", he exclaimed still laughing. Lunafreya smirked mischievously at him and held the dog closer, making the prince laugh more and the princess began giggling as well. After a while, Noctis managed to push Umbra whilst simultaneously scratching behind his ears.

"You could've warned me that he would do that.", Noctis said with a smirk.

"Sorry.", Lunafreya said still smiling, putting Umbra down so that he could play with the other dogs. "Umbra gets excited when he meets new people."

"You don't say.", the prince said sarcastically and the two royals shared a laugh. With the prince's permission, the princess took control of his wheelchair and wheeled him closer to the other children.

Weiss stood up from the floor where they were playing with the dogs. "Hey, why don't we take them out to play in the garden!"

Ravus stroked Pryna's fur. "I'm sure they would like that."

Lunafreya nodded and looked among Noctis, Ruby and Yang. "We can show you the syyleblossom field."

The three Lucians agreed simultaneously and Ravus led them out to the garden with Yang following close at his heels. Weiss reached out a hand to help Ruby up from the floor and the two bounded out of the room, the dogs chasing them excitedly as if playing a game.

Lunafreya took control of Noctis' wheelchair once again and began to follow the other children. "I hope you enjoy your stay here, Prince Noctis."

Noctis looked over his shoulder to look at the princess behind him. "I'm sure we will, Lady Lunafr-fay." He began to stutter, having trouble pronouncing her long name.

The princess smiled and cut him off. "Please, just call me Luna."

The prince nodded. "Okay… Luna."

* * *

Regis and Sylva looked on longingly at the six children playing in the palace gardens. The servants had brought them a tray of tea and the king accepted it gratefully. Sylva silently dismissed them, leaving the two monarchs alone. She frowned and looked to the Regis. "I'm sorry to hear about Prince Noctis' accident."

"Thank you, Sylva." He took a sip of his tea. "It was a very… difficult experience… for us all. For Noctis, his friends and his sisters."

The queen put her cup down. "I understand. I do not know what I would do if that happened to Ravus, Lunafreya or Weiss." She placed a hand on the king's. "I promise that I will do everything I can to help young Noctis."

Regis gave a hopeful smile. "Thank you, you cannot begin to understand how grateful I am."

Sylva nodded and the two of them sat in silence for a while, simply sipping their tea. Regis looked down at his lap and then out to the children outside. He could see young Lunafreya picking a blue syyleblossom from the ground and showed it to Noctis. She said a few words to him before he accepted it with a smile. He then looked to Weiss handing Ruby some dog treats. She stood up and held them for Zwei, who was jumping up and down for them and Yang couldn't control her laughter.

"How has Weiss been adjusting for these last few years?", he asked quietly.

"Very well.", Sylva replied cheerfully. "She is a beautiful, kind, charming young girl. And Ravus and Lunafreya absolutely love her and I consider her an important part of our family." She could see Regis nod in understanding. "And what of Ruby and Yang?"

Regis paused as if in thought and then smirked. "It's never a dull moment in the palace. I used to think Noctis was trouble and now he's causing just as much anarchy with his sisters.", he chuckled. "But they are fantastic children. I feel like we've been blessed."

"Or burdened.", Sylva muttered solemnly. Regis looked to her questionably. "I mean… the fate that would inevitably fall onto our children."

"That's exactly what they are, Sylva: _children_. We can't expect them to take on a responsibility that big so soon."

"I know.", the queen simply said. "But that is why these children were sent to us. To help the future King and Oracle banish a darkness that threatens this world and another."

Regis couldn't help but sigh. "As a father, I would do anything to protect my family, and I know you would do the same for yours, but I do not think that Ruby, Yang and Weiss were only sent here to banish the darkness. Perhaps they were sent to help and protect our children when we inevitably can't. A second chance if you will."

Sylva stared at him as if searching for something before nodding slowly. "I see." She bowed her head. "All we can do is give our children the best life possible before it's tragically taken away from them when it is time for them to face the world."

"Of course.", Regis replied.

Sylva looked to the side for a moment and then frowned. She tilted her head slightly to the side asking, "What of the forth girl?"

Regis immediately shook his head. "I've asked the Crystal, but I can never get a straight answer." He paused, thinking deeply about what he was going to say next. "She could be anywhere in a big world like Eos. I don't know personally where I would begin to look."

"Perhaps she is not meant to be found now.", Sylva said picking up her tea and looking out to the garden again. "Maybe we have to trust that the children will eventually find their own way."

Trust. If there was one thing Regis would have for his children, both now and in the future, was trust.

He picked up his tea and the two monarchs ceremoniously clinked their cups together. "Indeed."

* * *

 _Give our children the best possible life before it's tragically taken away from them._

Those words stayed with Regis as Tenebrae was set aflame.

As Noctis was steadily healing from his injuries, he, Ruby and Yang had enjoyed their time with Luna, Weiss and Ravus. Noctis and Luna were sometimes seen sitting close to his bed and sharing hushed words and quiet laughs and were occasionally heard talking to each other at night. Ruby, Yang and Weiss continued to play around with the dogs and had to coax Ravus into taking part in their games and jokes.

One day, they had decided in a trip around the city and Regis was joyous to see a smile back on his son's face and his daughters' spirits brightened for the first time after the attack. Ruby and Weiss begrudgingly agreed to leave the dogs behind and Yang had to physically drag her away from Zwei. Luna excitedly wheeled Noctis through the manor and the two even made a game out of it. She was wheeling Noctis through the woods with the rest of the families when a sudden shadow over their heads caught her attention. She craned her head up and her heart threatened to stop dead in her chest.

Niflheim airships.

Without warning, soldiers began dropping out of the sky like rain and gunning down the Tenebrae rovals and delegates and one large soldier in particular was speeding through the crowd, slashing down anyone in sight. Screams and cries filled the air and everybody began racing to safety.

Ravus' arm was grazed by a stray bullet and fell down in pain. One Niflheim soldier was ready to let out an array flames onto the poor boy when Sylva shouted out his name and shielded him from the fire. When the smoke cleared, he could feel something splatter onto his face and opened his eyes to find the sword of the large sword piercing through his mother, her blood shining on the blade. She crumpled silently to the ground and Ravus let out a cry, reaching a hand out to her. Weiss stared in horror at the sight and immediately rushed off to her brother, trying to help both her mother and her brother's wound.

Regis could see Yang holding Ruby protectively by her side. They locked eyes and Yang was ready to rush towards him. Among the chaos, no one seemed to notice them hiding in the bushes, which Regis was grateful for. He motioned for them to not come closer and to instead slowly back away from the scene and his two daughters complied. Sure that his daughters were out of danger, he bolted over to Noctis and Luna, who standing protectively at his side. Noctis screamed out as a sword cut across his shoulder and he turned around to face the larger soldier who struck down Sylva.

He summoned several swords to parry his attacks, refusing to back down. Buying them enough time, he hoisted Noctis up from his wheelchair and ran, taking Luna's hand as he did so. Seeing their father approach them, Yang and Ruby took that as a signal to run as well.

Ravus desperately called out for help, but the Lucian king didn't waver. He was going to get his children out alive and nothing was going to stop him.

The plea for help caused Luna to look back her deceased mother and defenceless siblings. Her heart broke as she could see Ravus weeping over their mother and Weiss' tear stricken face as she was helpless to fix her brother's arm or to accept the fact that their lives were falling apart.

Refusing to leave her siblings the way they were, she ripped her hand from Regis'. He looked back at her in surprise but continued running. Noctis began begging for Luna to follow them, for his dad to turn back, to not leave them behind. This prompted Ruby to look back as well only to find Ravus leaning over his mother's body as Niflheim soldiers approached them and Weiss burying her face in her hands as she continued to sob. She wanted nothing more than to help them but with the soldiers following them, it wasn't an option.

Yang roughly grabbed her hand, pulling her along as the soldiers were catching up. "Sis, come on!" As much as she didn't want to, Ruby followed.

Noctis was still shouting out to Luna, but she was already being restrained by the soldiers. Before they dragged her away, she locked eyes with the Lucian children one last time and relayed the same message to each of them.

 _Please be safe._

* * *

They were all quiet during the journey back to Insomnia. The Lucian soldiers who accompanied them on the trip and a few surviving Tenebraen soldiers were able to secure the monarchs a vehicle and had to stealthily escape the country in the midst of an invasion. Two soldiers were in the front of the car driving whilst the royals and Regis' Shield and trusted friend, Clarus, rode in the back, hiding under hoods and cloaks to avoid detection.

Regis was still holding Noctis close to his chest, not daring to let him out of his sight and one arm was wrapped around Yang, who was still holding Ruby snug against her side. The youngest was quietly sniffling and was on the verge of falling asleep, the whole experience having drained her and Yang was merely staring out of the window, not looking at anything in particular.

The Tenebraen soldier put a hand to his earpiece as he was driving. He was silent for a while before giving confirmation to whatever he was told. He cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "We will be reaching the train station shortly. Niflheim authorities haven't secured the area yet so we'll be safe for the time being. Once we stop, they'll be another car waiting for you to take out of the country."

Yang's attention lifted up. Instead of clouds, countless Niflheim airships dominated the sky so it was safe to assume that an aerial escape wouldn't be easy. "Thank you.", Regis replied solemnly. "Tenebrae has our thanks."

"It's the least we could've done.", the soldier said. "With the Queen gone and Niflheim taking over…" Ruby quickly clamped her hands over her ears and scrunched her eyes shut, shaking her head desperately. Yang could only hold her sister and fight the urge to kick the back of the soldier's seat (although the look she got from Clarus was enough to placate her).

"It is… a tragic loss.", was all that Regis could say.

Noctis audibly huffed against his chest and Regis did all he could to pretend that he didn't hear that. "Imagine how _they_ feel." The prince's voice didn't sound angry or bitter. He sounded of emotion. "If they're alive."

"Noctis.", Regis snapped at him. Ruby whined and buried her face into Yang's side.

He looked between his fathers and sisters. "What? We're all thinking it! We don't know what the Empire plans to do with them!" He twisted himself around so that he wasn't facing his father. "Just the thought of Ravus, Weiss and…" He whimpered. "…Luna being stuck with them-"

He was cut off by his father lightly squeezing his shoulder. "There's nothing we can do. I'm sure we'll hear news of the invasion soon enough."

"We could've done something!" Everyone looked down in surprise to see Ruby rubbing furiously at her eyes. "We could've saved them! Taken them with us! We shouldn't have left them to _die!_ "

Their eyes widened in shock at the words the child was using. Yang tried to rub her back supportively but the redhead wouldn't stop squirming, her movements only restricted by the amount of people in the back of the car. "I don't want them to be _killed!_ "

"And they won't." Clarus' voice was strong and bold. "The Oracle is an important well respected figure all over Eos. It's already bad enough that they've already killed the Queen. Killing the future Oracle will be political suicide."

The group considered the Shield's words carefully.

"So…", Yang spoke up for the first time. "Do you think they'll be okay?"

Regis reached over to stroke his daughter's hair. "They will be fine, Yang. They may be young but they are strong. I believe in their resolve."

Noctis was quiet for a moment, thinking about what was said. "Me too." He looked to the girls who nodded firmly.

Ruby went to hug her father. "What do we do now?"

Regis sighed and returned the embrace. "Hope. And pray. For now, worrying will get us nowhere. They wouldn't want us to suffer like this."

Noctis was half-tempted to make a bitter remark like, 'you don't know what they want' but he was exhausted. Everything had fallen apart mere hours ago and they were by no means out of the woods themselves. Getting mad at his father wouldn't get him anywhere. It wouldn't change anything or make him feel better about what had happened. He was right; the best he could do right now was to stay safe. And pray that one day they would see each other again.

* * *

After the invasion, the Fleuret siblings were heartlessly ripped away from their mother's corpse and taken into custody. The entire of Fenestala manor was placed under house arrest and the children were locked in their bed chambers with soldiers standing on both sides of the door.

Weiss had her arms wrapped protectively around their dogs and buried her face into their furs. Ravus was sitting on the bed, still holding his wound, trying his best to appear as if it didn't bother him. Luna asked to have a look at it but Ravus snapped that he was fine. She left him alone after that. She had no idea of how to cope with just happened and simply settled for allowing silent tears to roll down her face. She heard Pryna whine and nuzzled her face against her cheek and Luna quietly thanked her companion.

"What's going to happen to us?", Weiss asked quietly, her eyes and face red and puffy from crying.

Luna hugged her sister. "I do not know. Though I can assume they'll probably take us into custody."

"Or kill us.", Ravus said bluntly.

Weiss gasped and Luna gaped at her brother and hugged her sister tighter. "Ravus!", she hissed.

"They killed mother. Who's to say they won't kill us next?"

The youngest sobbed violently into her sister's shoulder. Luna, acting on instinct, did something very improper and roughly shoved a hand against Ravus' chest. "They won't! If they wanted to then they wouldn't have taken us away. We were with mother and we were defenceless. They had they the opportunity to kill us and they didn't." She lowered her voice when a soldier turned towards them, his gun intimidating them into silence. "They must want us for something else."

Ravus stared at his sister taking in everything that she said. After a while, he huffed and turned away from them. "We can only speculate at this point."

"Do you think they'll come for us?", Weiss asked. Luna didn't have to ask what she meant by that. She knew.

The eldest sibling scoffed. "They didn't help mother, why would they help us?" His grip on his wound tightened and ignored the flare that it sent up his arm. "He saw what was happening and what did he do? Run."

"There was nothing he could've done, Ravus.", Luna tried to reason. "He had his own children to think about." Ravus didn't reply.

She quit her endeavours when she heard Weiss hyperventilate. "Things aren't going to be okay, are they?"

Luna placed her hands on the other's shoulder so that she hold her gaze. "Yes, they will. We will stay alive. Keep a low profile for now and then figure out what exactly the Empire has planned." She removed her hands to take Weiss'. "As long as we are together, we will be okay."

Weiss sniffled. "But, mother…" She was on the verge of breaking down again.

"She will always be with us.", Ravus said longingly. "No matter what." Luna's shattered heart lifted slightly and nodded. Weiss crawled over the bed so that she was sitting between her two siblings and they all embraced each other.

They sat like that for a long while before Weiss' eyes snapped open, an idea in her mind. When she was sure that no one was watching them, she slipped off the bed and to her dresser. She pulled out a slip of paper and began writing down words. She stood there writing for several minutes before skimming over what she wrote and then shuffled over to where they sat. Discreetly, she showed the notes to her siblings, who approved of what she wrote.

She turned to the dog besides her and held up the note. "Can you do us a small favour?"

* * *

Following their escape, the Lucian royals managed to slip out of Tenebrae only narrowly missing any patrolling soldiers searching for them. Eve when they passed into the confines of the Wall of their kingdom, the children were still on edge and Regis couldn't blame them.

As they entered the Citadel, they could see Cor standing in the centre with another man and Ignis and Gladiolus beside them. The youngest of the two seemed to be talking to Cor and the man beside him tried to calm him down. When Cor noticed the royals approach them, Ruby ripped away from her sister and bounded towards the marshal and roughly hugged him, sobbing against him. "Uncle Cor!" The embrace caught him by surprise but slowly returned it in an attempt to soothe the clearly shaken girl.

Ignis' eyes widened behind his glasses. "Noctis!"

The prince perked up at the sound of the voice and reached a hand towards him. "Iggy, Gladio!" Ignis rushed up to them, promptly bowing to the king and heaved a sigh of relief. He put a comforting hand on his arm and when Noctis assured him he was fine, he went to hug Yang. The other man, Ignis' uncle came up, payed his respects as well and put a hand on his nephew's shoulder. The young boy had only become the prince's future advisor several years ago but they had spent so much of their childhood together that he reminded himself that, in this situation, he was a friend before a retainer. "Thank the Astrals that you are safe."

Gladio went up to them and his stoic expression softened for a moment. "You guys okay?" The three children were reluctant to reply.

Clarus cleared his throat. "Gladiolus, why don't we wait until everyone is settled in before asking any questions?"

The boy lowered his head. "Yes, father."

"Right this way." Cor extended an arm down the corridor, before gathering up Ruby in his arms and led the group into a study. The king set his son down onto a chair and Ignis put an arm around him, whispering reassuring words to him and his sisters whilst Gladio put a comforting hand on their shoulders. Cor looked the children over and then to the king and Shield. "Is anyone hurt?"

Regis shook his head, removing his jacket. "No, only a few cuts and bruises from the evacuation but that's to be expected."

"Nevertheless, we should get you all looked at.", Clarus said, thinking about both his charge and the children who were in the middle of a warzone.

The king nodded and looked to the five children. Noctis rested his head on Gladio's shoulder and the future Shield allowed him the comfort. He wrapped his arms around Ruby and Yang who were still trying to cease their crying. So much had happened to them in a day and Regis knew that things would always be different from this point on.

They were all taken to the healers and Noctis, Ruby and Yang silently allowed the doctors to examine them. Gladio and Ignis had attempted to make lighthearted conversation with them but didn't know what they could do if they saw innocent people being gunned down by their enemy. Once their injuries were treated, the three of them were taken up to their rooms. Noctis was about to enter his room when he blurted out that he'd rather stay with his sisters and the two girls agreed.

He had climbed into Ruby's bed to give the youngest sibling comfort and soon enough Yang joined them. All of them in one bed definitely wasn't comfortable but at this point, they didn't care. They were afraid to leave each other's side. Regis had stayed with his children for a long while, trying to offer them comfort and support but none of them were up for it. After a couple of hours, he decided to leave so Yang they could rest. However, at Ruby's urging Ignis and Gladio agreed to stay with them for a while longer. They all stayed up taking part in idle small talk for another hour before giving into sleep and having an impromptu sleepover.

Noctis didn't know how much time had passed since they all fell asleep but when he woke up and could see the ominous night sky out of his window, he could assume that they slept for the rest of the day. His groggy thoughts were interrupted when he felt a weight dip on the side of the bed. He turned his face only to be greet with Umbra licking his face. He exclaimed in surprise and jumped off the bed to pet Umbra, waking up everyone in the process.

Ruby tiredly woke up but her mind went ecstatic when she saw another black and white dog. "Zwei!" She jumped up and gathered the him in her arms and the dog licked her face. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Gladio blanched at the scene before him. "Uh, who are they?"

"And how did they get into the palace?", Ignis asked, putting his glasses back on.

Yang jumped out to pet Umbra. "They're the Fleurets' dogs from Tenebrae.", she said with a smile. "We had so much fun playing with them."

"But that doesn't explain how they got in.", Gladio said.

Noctis shrugged. "Magic?", he asked flippantly. Gladio groaned, not in the mood to attempt to wrap his mind around the possibility.

Ruby continued to pet Zwei when she saw a piece of paper attached to his tag. She unfolded the note and skimmed over what it said. She let a choked gasped several seconds later. Ignis went up next to her. "What is it?"

Yang wordlessly took the slip of paper and her sister allowed her. She also read it over, but Ruby's reaction prepared her for what it could say. She waved the other children over so that she could read the following:

 _Dear Noctis, Ruby and Yang,_

 _I hope all of you and King Regis safely escaped Tenebrae and that you are well. Lunafreya, Ravus and I are alive, however mother did not survive the invasion. We are most likely going to be taken into Imperial custody but we are firm in our belief that they will not do anything drastic to us. Our hearts are broken from recents events, but please do not worry, we shall be fine. We do not want you to burden the guilt as we do not blame you for what happened. Please live your lives to the fullest as we shall to best of our ability._

 _I pray this message reaches you and that we can continue to keep in contact despite these circumstances._

 _With love,_

 _Weiss Nox Fleuret._

Noctis' heart stopped in his chest as he whipped around and bounded towards the bags they brought with them to Tenebrae. Rummaging through them, he finally settled on what he was looking for and pulled out two red notebooks. He remembered Luna and Weiss handing them to him and the girls as they wanted a way to talk to each other once their trip was over. But the note Weiss had sent them reassured them that they were okay and that they could still communicate. His heart swelled at the notion and brought the books up to Ruby and Yang. Looking between the books and the dogs wagging their tails happily, they all knew staying friends could still be a possibility.

The three Lucian royals grabbed a couple of pens and knelt down before the dogs. Ruby was already writing excitedly to Weiss and Yang eagerly asked her to slow down so that she could write something as well. Noctis sat for an unsettling amount of time trying to decide what to write to Luna. He was more than grateful to hear that she was okay but he couldn't swallow the underlying guilt he felt for leaving her behind, despite it being out of his power to do otherwise. But this moment gave him new hope that things were going to work out, that they were all going to be okay.

And maybe there _was_ hope that they would see each other again.

* * *

 **Another long chapter since I wanted to somewhat set up story and character relations but hopefully the road trip can start in a couple chapters! Nothing on Blake yet but we'll see her eventually!**

 **What do you guys think of these long chapters? Do you think they should be about this long or should they be shorter?**

 **Hope you enjoyed it! Until next time!**


	3. Chapter 2

**So first of all, guys, that RWBY VOLUME 5 TRAILER! My inner fangirl has resurfaced! Seriously, October can't get here fast enough! If you haven't seen it yet, go watch it now!**

 **Also, this chapter is about 8,000 words, so yeah I've decided on the 'longer chapters' route.**

 **Quick note: since we're now going into the present day in this chapter, I imagine the RWBY girls' outfits would be like the ones they wear in Volume 4. Also, in this Ruby is 17, Yang is 18 and Weiss and Blake are 19 (like I said before, I know the age differences are inconsistent but roll with me on this).**

 **Onto the chapter: I'm going to be honest, I'm not entirely confident about this one. Im not used to writing the characters in present day time and I'm worried about them coming off as OOC. I wanted to get this chapter out so I didn't keep you guys waiting so if anything comes off as unnatural or as exposition, don't worry I'm planning on revisiting and editing it later.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to** **© Rooster Teeth** **and** **© Square Enix** **respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 **12 Years Later…**

"Will you three please cease your tomfoolery and help me clean up?", Ignis sighed as he carried around a trash bag around Noctis' apartment. The sound of video game sound effects playing in the background as he picked up yet another piece of rubbish off the floor.

Noctis, who was sitting on the couch in front of the television with a controller in his hands, gritted his teeth. "Sorry, Specs, but we're so close to beating Ruby this time."

Prompto, who was sitting next to the prince, smirked. "Yeah, I think I just figured out her tactic."

The redhead next to them chuckled slyly, pressing the buttons on her game controller rapidly. "You wish, guys! Know when you've been beat!"

The prince tilted his head to the side as the game became progressively harder. "I don't think so!"

"You're going down!"

"I'm gonna beat you into the ground!"

"I'd like to see you try!"

"Oh, just watch me!"

Ignis' voice cut through their battle. "And with that, the game's over."

Noctis paused for a moment and then let out a noise of annoyance when both his and Prompto's characters were struck down by Ruby's and a 'game over' popped up on the screen. "Are you kidding me?!"

Ruby unceremoniously stuck her tongue out at her older brother. "Don't pick a fight that you can't win."

Prompto threw his controller down in frustration. "I was this close.", he said, holding up his thumb and forefinger, barely touching each other.

"Apologies, but you've been saying that for the last thirteen games and, yes, I have been counting." Ignis moved in front of the three and picked up the controller that was thrown to the floor and plucked the ones out of Noctis and Ruby's hands, earning a pout from the latter. "Now will the three of you help with the cleaning? It honestly feels like I'm the one doing all the work in this apartment.", he huffed quietly to himself, shaking his head.

"Maybe that's because you are.", Ruby replied. Noctis gaped at her and roughly nudged her in the side, causing her to dramatically topple over.

"To be fair, Noct, this is your apartment.", Prompto retorted causing the prince to shoot a glare at the blond.

"Come on, it's just the guys. They're not gonna care.", Noctis said, picking up an old wrapper to placate his advisor.

"Noct, need I remind you the amount of things you've 'misplaced' over the years that had all to do with not keeping your apartment in check?", Ignis asked, raising an eyebrow. At that, Noctis lowered his head in embarrassment and Ruby stifled a giggle at his shame. "You're not any better."

"I clean my apartment!", Ruby exclaimed defensively.

Ignis raised an eyebrow. "Hiding all of your rubbish under the bed doesn't count as cleaning."

Prompto chuckled proudly and gave Ruby and small high-five. "I gave her that idea."

Ignis, however, continued his little lecture. "And do you remember what almost happened when you didn't put Crescent Rose safely away?"

Ruby cringed at the mention of that incident with her scythe. "Okay, so I left it in my bed one time? But I didn't hurt myself!"

"That doesn't change the fact that you could've.", Ignis retorted.

Noctis snorted. "Come on, that was a year ago. Are you still gonna chastise her for that?"

"Forgive me for being concerned for everyone's safety.", Ignis replied sarcastically. "And that's the reason why I had advised you all to keep your weapons back at the palace." He tied a knot at the top of the trash bag and placed it in the garbage. Ignis was about to speak when the doorbell interrupted their conversation.

"Saved by the bell.", Prompto muttered.

"I got it!", Ruby exclaimed as she jumped up from the couch and ran to answer the door.

It had only been a couple of years since the now-seventeen year old girl had moved out of the palace with Noctis and Yang into an apartment complex to have some semblance of a normal life as growing adults. Their rooms in the palace still contained some of their belongings as they stayed at home on occasion, such as their custom-made weapons they each requested and received on their sixteenth birthdays: Noctis was given a sword, called the Engine Blade, Ruby received a scythe, Yang got a pair of gauntlets which could morph into a type of gun. They had rarely used their weapons except for sparring and training sessions, which the sisters had joined Noctis and Gladio in (which lead to his younger sister, Iris, joining in soon after much to her big brother's chagrin).

The three Lucian royals were now growing up and learning independence from their father. It had to happen at some point, they had said, since the king was too preoccupied ruling the kingdom.

Ruby opened the front door and was greeted to see Yang standing beside Gladio and Iris.

She pouted. "What took you guys so long?"

"Nice to see you too.", the younger Amicitia sibling replied, crossing her arms.

Ruby flippantly waved her hand, smiling. "I'm just kidding." She opened the door wide and stepped to the side to let her sister and friends in as the other three in the apartment greeted them.

Gladio carried in the pizzas and beers they had brought over and set them down on the coffee table as Iris and Yang plumped down in a chair. "Ironically enough-", Gladio said. "-I expected us to be here sooner because of Iris and Yang's little race."

Everyone stared at the three of them confused and Yang took that as a cue to explain. "Iris and I wanted to see who could run up the stairs the fastest."

Iris held up her hands proudly and smiled brightly. "I won."

Yang rolled her eyes. "Only because you were jumping up two steps at a time. That's cheating."

"Hey, we never established any rules so as far as I'm concerned, that's allowed."

"She has a point.", Gladio added.

"You're her brother.", Prompto retorted. "You're clearly biased."

"Over a race up the stairs?", Noctis asked incredulously.

"I honestly hoped you two would act less like children than these three.", Ignis sighed as he nodded towards Ruby, Noctis and Prompto.

Iris put her hands on her hips. "I'm fifteen, I'm younger than them."

"I'd still like to think I'm good influence on my little sister.", Yang playfully ruffled Ruby's hair and the redhead squirmed and tried to bat her hand away.

"I would still like all of you to act a little more mature.", the advisor muttered.

"Right." Noctis clapped his hands together, standing up from the sofa. "Let's get this party started." He smirked and gently nudged Prompto's side. "Since we're celebrating the newest addition to the Crownsguard."

The blond sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "It's not that big of a deal, really."

Gladio snorted. "Are you kidding? You deserve it, kid."

"Couldn't have asked for a better recruit.", Yang added and Ignis and Iris made a sound of agreement.

"Oh, which reminds me…", Ruby's voice perked up. She padded over to her bag and pulled out the notebook she and Yang kept in touch with Weiss with. She stood behind where Prompto was sitting on the couch before flipping through a bunch of pages. "I told Weiss; she and Luna are so proud of you!"

Prompto's face reddened at that news. When he befriended Noctis in high school, Lady Weiss had heard from Ruby and Yang that they made a new friend and sent a letter thanking Prompto for being there for them as the three royals didn't mix with many people from outside of the palace. One letter turned to two, then three and Weiss and Prompto had kept in touch ever since. The two of them were glad to become such good friends but we're also disheartened by Weiss' imprisonment in Tenebrae that prevented them from talking to each other properly.

He was anxious about joining the Crownsguard because his lack of noble or royal blood made unlikely to be accepted but the support from his friends and his last letter from Weiss congratulating him helped him set aside his worries.

"Thanks guys.", he chuckled nervously. "It really means a lot."

* * *

Over the next several hours, the group spent the night celebrating, playing video and card games, sharing stories and exchanging jokes that caused them to burst out laughing. At some point Gladio and Yang had challenged each other to an arm wrestling contest and several rounds later, the man said the blonde only won because his arm had slipped.

When it began to lead into the late hours of the night, everyone was about to say their goodbyes to the royals when Ignis heard the chime of a phone caught his attention. He saw Yang's phone on the kitchen counter and at a glance he could see a message saying she had a missed call.

From Cor.

"Yang?" He caught the girl's attention and handed her the phone. "Pardon the intrusion, but it appears that you have a missed call from the marshal."

She stared at him in confusion and looked down at her phone as if she wasn't buying it. "Really? This time of night?" Yang tapped the button to call him back and it seemed that the strange occurrence peaked everyone's curiosity.

He picked up immediately after the second ring. "Yang? Where are you?" His voice sounded a little too worried for the girl's liking.

"Um, at Noct's place.", she replied, confused. "Cor, is something wrong?"

She heard a low sigh before the marshal continued. "I've been urgently trying to reach you, Ruby and Noctis." There was a small pause. "His Majesty wants to see the three of you as soon as possible."

Now that's what spiked her suspicion. Their father had rarely requested to see them and it was even near impossible to have a simple conversation without having him being called away soon after. For him to suddenly want them at the palace was enough to make her suspicious. And what made it so urgent?

"Oh. What's it about?"

"Honestly, its better if you hear it from him." He didn't wait for her to respond before hanging up.

The blonde nervously pocketed her phone and went back over to her siblings and friends. She slightly raised her voice to get everyone's attention and looked to Ruby and Noctis. "I just got off the phone with Uncle Cor. He said dad wants to talk to us as soon as possible."

A pregnant silence hung over the group. Both Noctis and Ruby knew that it had been a while since they talked to their father as they had all drifted further apart ever since they moved out of the palace and only had a few talks here and there and getting tog there on family and holiday occasions. But they were never called to be seen for something so urgent.

"Did he mention what it was about?", Noctis asked. Yang shook her head.

Ignis, Prompto, Gladio and Iris all considered speaking up but decided the three siblings to process the situation. Gladio and Iris knew what it was like for their father to be occupied by their work since their own was a member of the Lucian Council and would spend most of the day working in the Citadel. In that, the two families shared their mutual feelings of loneliness and the solace they found in each other's company.

After several moments, Ignis cleared his throat, getting their attention. "Would you like me to drive you there?"

The three siblings looked at and nodded to each other. "Yeah, thanks.", Ruby replied.

The group wordlessly exited the apartment, with Noctis carefully locking up, and all entered the elevator. The ride down was mostly uneventful except for Prompto trying to lighten the somber mood. "You know…", he looked to Ruby and Yang. "I still find it weird that you call Cor Leonis 'uncle'. Whenever I see him he always looks like he wants to kill something." At that, the group chuckled slightly.

"Nah, he's actually a big softie inside.", Ruby replied, still giggling.

Yang grinned. "Yeah, I mean he was the one who found us when we were little and practically helped raise us when he wasn't working. But I can see why some might view him as a stubborn robot."

"Careful.", Noctis warned jokingly. "You better make sure he doesn't find out you said that."

"Not making any promises.", Gladio responded, with the same attitude causing Iris to elbow him lightly in the ribs.

Once they left the building, Gladio had offered Prompto a ride home and the blond accepted, thanking his friends for the great night and waved goodbye to Noctis and his sisters as they climbed into Ignis' car. When they had driven off, the three remaining friends wracked their minds as to what that urgent news could've been.

Ignis had pulled up by the palace courtyard and the four of them were all surprised to see Cor waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs. He visibly stiffed when he saw the three royals.

"Good evening, marshal.", Ignis said as they approached the older man.

He nodded in response. "Ignis, Your Highnesses."

Noctis crossed his arms. "So what's this urgent thing our father needs to talk to us about?" Cor didn't say anything and instead motioned for everyone to follow him up. Along the way to the king's study, the three siblings kept on asking different questions but Cor elegantly dodged them, giving vague answers or simply downright ignoring them. That alone was enough to arouse suspicion. However, the more they walked, the more they passed other people in the Citadel.

To say that they were surprised about the silence throughout the place would've been an understatement. Whenever any of usually passed members of the Crownsguard and the Kingsglaive, they greeted each other with enthusiasm. Now, everyone looked on edge and downright anxious and frightened. They were almost nervous to ask what that was about.

Before they knew it, they were outside their father's study. Whenever Regis requested an audience with anyone, the meeting usually happened in the throne room, but for him calling them to his study meant that this must've been a personal matter. They all thought about it hard but couldn't figure what it could be.

"We'll wait out here.", Cor said as they approached the door.

They looked to Ignis with a questioning look and he held up a hand in response. "I'll be here when you're done."

The three of them nodded and Noctis reluctantly knocked on the door. A soft voice answered for the them to enter and the price held the door for his sisters before closing it behind him, leaving Ignis and Cor on their own. The marshal sighed and sat on one of the chairs outside the office and Ignis wordlessly sat down after him. The advisor didn't say anything but he knew something was troubling the other man. They sat like that for several minutes.

"It'll be on the news soon enough.", Cor finally spoke up, momentarily catching Ignis off guard. "No doubt they'll tell you before you hear about it. Regis only wanted to tell them first before anyone else caught wind of it."

Ignis shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I know it's not my place to ask, marshal, but how… big… is it?"

Cor was about to respond when the two of them heard a muffled shout come from the room next to them.

* * *

When Noctis, Ruby and Yang entered the study, Regis immediately looked up from his desk with a gentle smile. Over the course of those twelve years, their father had aged rapidly, more than a normal man would've done, but at the cost of wearing the Ring of Lucii and keeping up the Wall that safeguarded their kingdom, King Regis had to sacrifice his own lifespan. The thought of it disturbed and shocked his children but he said it what was necessary to be done for the kingdom.

Under normal circumstances, the three of them wouldn't think anything of it but with the context in mind, it threw them slightly off guard. Not to mention that his eyes betrayed the emotions of sorrow and guilt and they clearly caught their father lower his head for a moment to wipe away what were obviously tears.

Noctis recognised this look; the look his father had given him all those years ago when he first met Ruby and Yang. Regis was hiding something.

He gestured for his children to sit down in the chairs in front of his desk and cleared his throat before speaking. "Thank you for coming, children." Even as they were growing up, Regis still saw the three of them as the small children he knew all those years ago. "I apologise for pulling you away from your business, but I wanted to see you as soon as possible and I couldn't risk you hearing this from someone else."

"Hear what?", Yang asked. The moment the question was asked, Regis shit his gaze down to the ground as if he had been accused of something.

"Dad?", Noctis said uncertainly. "What's going on?"

"Yeah.", Ruby added. "What's up with Cor? Why is everyone acting so weird?"

The more questions they asked, the more difficult it became for Regis to respond. As a king, he faced all situations with resolve and resilience but when it came to confessing anything to his children, he couldn't even choke the words out. Especially now.

When he sat in silence for several moments, Noctis spoke again. "Dad, please." As his voice begged, it made it even harder for Regis to speak. If his children were already falling apart, what hope did he have?

 _No, you have to stay strong. For them._

Letting out a long breath, the king straightened in his seat and spoke. "Please know that I would've done things differently if there was another way."

Ruby's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?" She didn't like where this conversation was going.

However, Regis didn't waver under her worried tone. "But there was no other reasonable option so I had no choice but to comply." He closed his eyes for a second before looking at his family with hardened resolve. "Niflheim has offered peace in exchange for all territories outside of the kingdom. And I have agreed."

And that was when Noctis erupted from his chair. "Niflheim?! The same Niflheim that took Luna, Weiss and Ravus captive and slaughtered their mother?"

Yang followed her brother in causing a scene, leaving Ruby who was silently sinking into her chair. "The one that torched Tenebrae and tried to kill us?! That Niflheim is offering peace?!"

"Yes.", Regis simply replied.

The prince twisted around to kick his chair. "How can you be so calm about this?!", he yelled accusingly. "This is a country we've been at war with for years now and even tried to kill us twelve years ago! Or did you forget that?"

Ruby stayed silent throughout the argument since she was less focused on having an outburst and was more in shock, shaking, trying very hard not to cry.

"Of course not!", Regis' booming voice shocked everyone into silence. "During the invasion, all I could think about was getting you away from their clutches. After what happened to Tenebrae, the thought of losing any of you was pure torture. And I cannot imagine what it must've been like for children your age to see those horrors." He lowered his voice down to calm the startled royals. "This was my decision along with the Council. It has been decided, there's nothing we can do about it. The least we can do is make the best of the situation."

They were all at a loss for words. The war with Niflheim had never gotten so bad thanks to the protection of the Wall kept up by their father but there was still tension between the two nations, combined with the Emperor's obsession for power and control and jealousy of their Crystal. To have them offer peace was so sudden and out of nowhere.

It wasn't a surprise that Ruby, Yang and Noctis had underlying anger towards the Empire's invasion of Tenebrae but over the years Luna and Weiss had sent various letters assuring them that they were okay. But that still didn't ease their nerves.

However, their father was the king. If he was taking the chance to accept the peace treaty, they should trust his judgement.

After staying silent for the whole exchange, Ruby spoke up. "The war can't go on forever. This might be our only chance to end it." Her two siblings looked at her accusingly. She held up her hands in defence. "Don't get me wrong, I hate this as much as you guys, but if this guarantees everyone's safety we should at least consider it." Regis nodded in response.

The silence hanging in the room was deafening. What Ruby had said was the hard truth to accept. Even if they didn't like the Empire (which was putting it lightly), a peace treaty may have been the best possible option and outcome.

Noctis crossed his arms and looked down to the ground, nodding slowly. "Alright. I understand."

Yang looked at her brother before coming to the same conclusion. Even if she didn't agree, who was she to argue when everything seemed to be decided for them? "Okay. I guess we can live with it."

Regis let a short breath of relief and gave Ruby a look that definitely said that she was grateful for speaking up. "Thank you. It means a great deal to me that you all support this, even if you're not completely happy about."

"Well, it's not like we have much of a choice in this.", Noctis sighed as he sat back down. "But if it's what you think is best then I trust you." Regis could only smile in response.

Ruby was about to smile at the agreement they reached before she caught something else in her father's eyes. "Dad, is there something else?" The king was slightly taken back at the blunt question but couldn't handle hiding something ode from his children and nodded.

"There's more?", Yang exclaimed as she sat down. Her tone of voice sounded much harsher than she intended but given the bombshell that was just dropped on them, she wasn't in the mood for anymore surprises.

"Yes, well… the terms of the peace treaty don't end there."

Noctis leaned forward in his chair, prompting his father to continue. "As a symbol of peace between the two nations, Noctis and Lady Lunafreya are to be married."

Oh, if everyone could hear the gears turning in Noctis' head. Out of all the things Niflheim could've come up with, this definitely surprised the trio the most.

He had also kept in touch with Luna, frequently sending messages via Umbra but they hadn't actually seen each other since they were children. And he definitely didn't expect the next time they would see each other again would be through an arranged marriage. On the one hand, he was practically ecstatic at the prospect of reuniting with her but the word 'married' caught him off guard. He never stopped thinking about Luna over the years and felt something deeper than friendship towards her but he never considered the possibility of marriage, since her country being under Niflheim rule made it impossible for interaction.

While he wasn't against the idea, he wished it wasn't under these circumstances. _Is it what I want? Is it what_ she _wants? Does_ she _even feel the same way?_

"I mean…", Yang started. "That doesn't sound so terrible."

"Yeah.", Ruby agreed, trying to sound as confident as possible. "At least this way we can see everyone else again."

Noctis smile weakly. Leave it to his sisters to try and cheer him up during an uncomfortable situation. "Yeah, thanks guys." He looked to his father and the king could see that he was begrudgingly accepting what was presented to them. The last thing Regis wanted to do was to hurt his children but the circumstances made it almost unavoidable and only hoped that they would forgive him in time.

"While none of us are exactly happy about this, I'm sure we can make this work.", Noctis finished.

At that, Regis swiftly stood up and and rounded the table, momentarily forgetting about his walking cane. All three of his children stood up as well, feeling as if there was something more.

However, Regis simply wrapped his arms around them, drawing them in close. Ruby nuzzled her face into his chest and Noctis and Yang both wrapped their arms around his waist, burying their faces into both his shoulders. Finally, the weight of the situation caught up with all of them and finally decided to drop their confidence facades, letting the hot tears burn down their faces.

As Regis became fully aware of the warmth and love radiating off his children, he realised that in this moment, he was a father, not a king. Had to think about what was best for the kingdom, yes, but he would keep to his word that he would protect his children.

 _I know I may not show it all the time and a king's duty is to his people, but you three always come first… I know that I'm a pathetic excuse for a father, missing out on you growing up, always having time for meeting but not for you. Nothing can make up for the neglect I subjected you to. I promised to protect you but instead I drifted away from you all. I know I could've tried harder, I should've tried harder._

 _But… I can't lie. Escaping Tenebrae, keeping the Wall at the cost of my own life, accepting the treaty: know that you three always came first._

 _And no matter what happens, know that I will always be with you._

* * *

Whenever Weiss walked through Fenestela Manor, she was constantly reminded of the freedom and happiness taken away from her. Her most fondest childhood memories happened in her home but for the last twelve years, there was a more grim and dire atmosphere about it.

 _Just another slap in the face from the Empire._

The company of Luna and the retainers who raised them after the death of their mother made living under Niflheim's rule a little bearable. However, the mood had been seriously dampened when Ravus revealed that he was joining Niflheim's ranks and army, still holding animosity towards Regis, for leaving them behind, and by extension Lucis. Weiss rarely spoke to her to brother after that as neither of them would budge on their views of the Lucian king.

Weiss was searching around the manor for her sister since their home had gone eerily desolate throughout the day and couldn't seem to find Luna anywhere. As the Oracle of Eos, not only was she a messenger for the people to the gods but she was also given the task of healing those with afflictions, including the Starscourge, who would travel all over to see her. However, Luna had returned from that hours ago and Weiss couldn't even find her in the garden where she grew her garden of syyleblossoms.

She eventually found herself in the kitchen and saw one of the servants working tirelessly away. She was wearing an apron over her dress and had her greying hair tied up in a bun. Weiss contemplated for a moment before knocking lightly on the door. The woman jumped slightly and then turned around before hastily bowing. "Oh, Lady Weiss! I didn't hear you come in."

The younger girl smiled. "What are doing in the kitchen, Maria?"

The retainer turned back to her work as the princess walked over to her. "I'm helping prepare supper since some of the other servants have been called away. Something to do with 'important business'."

"Huh?", she said more to herself. "Is that why I can't find my sister anywhere?"

Maria merely shrugged. "Perhaps. Prince Ravus had called Lady Lunafreya away for something urgent as well."

Weiss was slightly taken back by that. What would Ravus have to say to Luna that he couldn't say to both of them? "Oh. Alright, then. I guess I can just wait until their done." Maria smiled and nodded and then turned to lift something from a high shelf. Weiss could her struggling to reach so she opted to getting it herself. "Here, let me." She reached up slightly to grab the bowl Maria was going for and the woman thanked her.

She looked around for a moment, finally noticing the lack of people around the manor. "Maria, do you want me help you?"

The retainer shook her head. "Nonsense. I'm happy to do it by myself."

Weiss smile slyly and grabbed the knife Maria had left on a chopping board. "You know I'm going to help regardless?", she asked as she began cutting up the various vegetables that were left to the side.

The woman sighed and shook her head, hiding a smile under her features. "What am I going to do with you children?" Weiss simply giggled in response.

The Fleuret siblings didn't any close friends growing up and the invasion of Tenebrae seemed to have sealed that fact. As a result they spent most of their time talking and bonding with their various retainers and sometimes helped them with their chores so that they could spend more time with them. The royals weren't fully independent and didn't exactly have the chance to be but at least they knew the simple things and that was alright for them.

The two woman remained cooking in the kitchen for another hour, exchanging stories and jokes that almost made Weiss forget that she was a prison in her own home. Maria frequently gave the princess instructions when cooking the door and Weiss found it hilariously ironic that she was being given orders.

An abrupt clearing of the throat caught both of their attention and turned to see Ravus standing in the doorway. Maria bowed silently but Weiss eyes him with suspicion. "Ravus, what brings you here?"

"As you may have heard, I have been speaking to our sister. There is now a matter I would like to discuss with you as well." His voice betrayed no emotion and his tone was strictly formal. It was now strange to think that he was such a lively boy all those years ago.

Weiss looked to Maria and the older woman reassured her that she was okay. She followed her brother throughout the manor and their journey was completely silent and neither of them spoke. Weiss threw sideways glances at him but other than that there was no eye contact.

They stopped in front of Luna's bedchamber and Weiss quietly let herself in to find the other princess sitting on her bed, legs and arms crossed. Her expression hardened when Ravus entered the room. Even though Luna was also against their brother joining Niflheim, she never showed an expression so angry before.

 _What is going on?_

"Do you want to tell her, or shall I?", Luna asked Ravus, doing all she could to not make her voice sound bitter in front of her sister. When Ravus scoffed and looked away from both of them, Luna took that as cue to respond. "Niflheim has offered a peace treaty to Lucis and are marrying me to Noctis."

Weiss was taken back at the sudden news and didn't know how to respond. Was this what Ravus and Luna were talking about previously? Looking at Ravus, she could see that their brother was intentionally avoiding making eye contact with them. The three of them had grown up under the Empire's rule so they knew perfectly well how they worked and that something as innocent as a peace treaty wouldn't be that simple.

"Okay.", Weiss said. "That doesn't sit right with me."

Luna stood up from the bed, standing by Weiss. "Exactly."

When Ravus turned to look at them, he could see that the two of them had settled on staring him down. He looked at them accusingly. "What? Does that make me the enemy for delivering the news?"

"You're the deputy high commander of the army.", Luna stated. "Do you honestly expect us to believe that you don't know the true intentions of the Empire?"

"She's right.", Weiss asserted. "Ravus, we know the Empire and I don't buy that they would just abandon their goals and offer peace out of nowhere. Why the sudden change of heart?"

The older brother was silent for a moment before scowling. "I have no reason to explain myself or the Empire to you. The treaty signing is in a matter of days and the two of you will accompany us to Lucis." He scoffed to looked to Luna. "To be frank, I'm not entirely happy about this either, marrying you into that excuse of a family."

Luna shook her head in disbelief. "I cannot believe that after all this time you still hold Regis accountable for the Empire's-"

"That king is a traitor to both mother and our country!", Ravus snapped at her. "To think that you both side with his family is unbelievable."

Luna began to tear up slightly and looked to the ground. "You've sided with the Empire and joined their ranks. The only traitor is you." With that she stormed out of her room, with Weiss following quickly after her not even bothering to look at Ravus. As she chased after Luna, she could see that her older sister refused to let any of her tears spill and wiped her eyes. Growing up under house arrest, they had endured enough to know that they couldn't let their guard down, lest they missed what was going on right under their noses.

Weiss picked up her pace so that she was walking directly by her sister. "So, what do you think about all of this?"

The question was vague in it of itself and they didn't have enough information to have a clear understanding but nevertheless, Luna answered. "Peace between Niflheim and Lucis… marrying me to Noctis… if all definitely sounds too good to be true."

"My thoughts exactly.", Weiss replied. "Which begs the question: what are they actually planning?"

Luna sighed and shook her head. "That I don't know. Knowing the Empire, once we reach Lucis, anything can happen."

"So we just go along with it?" Weiss stepped forward so she was in front of Luna, causing the two of them to stop in the middle of the hallway.

"Absolutely not." She lightly gripped Weiss' arm and led her down so that they entered the youngest's bedroom, making sure that no soldiers were following or watching them. "But we have to be prepared.", she whispered.

Weiss nodded and looked to her bed. Biting her lip, she knelt down to pull out a long box and opened it to reveal and elegantly crafted rapier. She held it loosely in her hand. "I highly doubt the Empire will allow me to bring my sword and you, your trident."

"Maybe not." Luna stood thinking for a while before speaking again. "Perhaps we can ask Gentiana for help with that."

"I guess." Weiss' free hand went to the crystal necklace she wore for all those years.

"How is your training going?", Luna asked, seeing her sister's attention was now elsewhere.

Weiss tipped her head to the side. "As good as self-training can be." She pulled the necklace off from over her head and held it over her sword, causing it to light up a fluorescent white. Taking a few steps back from her sister, she whipped her sword in front of her whilst concentrating on the spot in front of her. The more she focus, the more her necklace shined and eventually a majestic silver glyph light up on the floor, bathing the room in a strong glow. The two girls stared at it in awe for a moment before Weiss lowered the sword and the glowing symbol disappeared.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to that."

Luna giggled. "Well, you seem to be doing fine with it now."

Weiss sighed. "Yeah, but it's not like I've had the chance to properly try out those glyphs or cast that strange magic." She fiddled with her necklace nervously. "I don't even know what it is, how it works or why I'm able to use it."

Her sister's smile fell slightly. That was true: when Weiss first came to them, Queen Sylva seemed to be slightly suspicious of the necklace she had in her possession. Even though she said she could sense a magic coming from it, no one, not even Weiss herself, seemed to know how it worked. It was only until several years back that Weiss had came into possession of her rapier (in case of self-defence, she had told Ravus) that she discovered that with the necklace she was able to cast magic and summon glyphs.

The whole discovery was a shock to the girl and had reluctantly told Luna. It practically threw what she knew about magic out of the window since it was nearly impossible for someone other than the Oracle or those connected to the Crystal to use such a powerful magic.

With their mother gone, the only person they could ask was Gentiana, who was a Messenger of the gods. She had lived with the Fleurets since Luna was born and was another kind soul who helped them over the years. When she asked the Messenger, the raven haired woman only responded with a warning: keeping Weiss' talent for magic as secret as possible.

Even though Ravus was sworn to Niflheim's army, he had begrudgingly agreed to keep her abilities secret to prevent them from turning Weiss into some experiment and to keep her away from the prospect of war and combat altogether. Weiss barely knew how it worked herself and didn't want to know how the Empire would hope to figure it out. However, he made it very clear that he wouldn't cover for her and training and keeping it secret would be her responsibility and if it got too out of hand then he would inform the Empire about it. As a result, Weiss was rarely able to practice her magic to the full extent.

"I'm sure we'll figure it out.", Luna replied. "For now, we'll travel to Lucis. We'll speak to King Regis and see what we can do from there." Her face took on a solemn expression. "I also need to see Noctis. There's a lot we need to talk about."

"You haven't seen him for twelve years. I think that's to be expected."

Luna shook her head. "No, it's not just that." She sighed. "Noctis is the King of Light, chosen to banish the darkness from our world. As the Oracle, it's my duty to stand with him."

"Even knowing what _you_ need to do to fulfil that?" Weiss wasn't looking at her sister when she asked that.

She paused in response for a moment. "I thought we agreed there was no point in arguing about this."

Weiss' face was unreadable. "I'm not arguing with you, Luna. If you're set on fulfilling your destiny then there's nothing I can do to stop you. I'm not Ravus."

The Oracle smiled and drew her sister into gentle hug. Tears fell from her eyes and splattered onto the other girl's hair but Weiss didn't care in that moment. "Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me."

"You're my sister.", Weiss choked out. "I know you only want what you think is best." _Even if it's not what I think._ "Just know that whatever happens, we'll face it together like we've always done."

One of Luna's hands left Weiss' back and went to hold one of her hands so that it intertwined with hers. The love and support from her sister was all that she needed to maintain her resolve. After a decade of captivity, Luna vowed that she would do all that she could to give her family the freedom they deserved and live out their lives happily. "Together."

* * *

Later that night, Luna stealthily slipped out of her room in her nightgown and was ready to pad down the hallways to Weiss' room. In the cold hours of the night, walking through the manor became more nerve wrecking with the imperial presence all over the place.

"Lunafreya.", an echoing voice caused her to pause in her tracks and turned to see Ravus standing behind her. "What are you doing out of your room?", he demanded. Being a part of the army definitely did a number on his attitude.

Luna stumbled over her words for a second before regaining her composure. "I'm going to Weiss' room." She continued before Ravus could protest. "We always stayed in the other's room if we couldn't sleep." She laughed nervously. "Childish, I know."

It was good that Ravus was the one who caught her otherwise that excuse may not have worked. Ravus' stony expression softened for only a second before sighing. "Very well, but don't let any of the guards catch you." Luna nodded and continued on with Ravus not moving on until he saw her enter her sister's room.

A few moments later, he followed her down the hallway and silently peered into the room, already seeing Luna sleeping on the edge of the bed and Weiss asleep on the other side, her arm loosely thrown over Pryna who was resting between the two girls. Ravus huffed and shook his head. What was he expecting to find anyways? The door clicked shut and Luna reluctantly cracked her eyes open.

"He's gone.", she whispered gently. Immediately after she said that, Weiss rose from her position on the bed and propped herself so that she was leaning against the headboard. Pryna perked up at the girls' movements and curled up against their sides.

"Ugh, these people take house arrest to a new level.", Weiss scoffed as she reached down the side of the bed to pick up her rapier. She adjusted her position so that she could hold it in a more comfortable grip.

"I still don't think this is a good idea, practicing _in bed._ ", Luna commented as she pulled her legs up to her chest allowing Pryna to rest her head on her lap.

Weiss smirked. "Call it a night class.", she replied, tapping her necklace to the sword. After a few hand gestures, she focused on a point above the bed and soon enough another glowing symbol appeared. Satisfied, she let it disappear and began summoning another one although this time she tried to concentrate harder on the size of the glyph. It appeared slightly larger than previously however she had trouble maintaining its presence. Her focus wavered for a second and the glyph flickered away.

With a defeated sigh, she leaned back in her bed. "You're making progress " Luna's voice sounded enthusiastic. _That makes one of us._ "That's great."

"Yeah, if only I could make it stay for more than five seconds." Pryna whined and licked her face. Weiss smiled slightly, grateful that the dog was showing her support.

"But do you remember last year you having troubling even summoning a large glyph? You're already doing so well and under harsh circumstances no less." Luna placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling brightly and before Weiss could say another protest, she wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into a hug. "I'm so proud of you, Weiss. You shouldn't doubt yourself like this."

"I know.", Weiss sighed. "It's just… I know you're my older sister and everything, but I want to protect you if anything happens."

"Hey." Luna pulled away so she could look her in the eyes. "You don't need to worry about that. Nothing will happen, not while I'm still here." Pryna barked as if confirming. "And I won't stop fighting until you're safe again."

Weiss stared at her numbly for a second, unsure what to say in response, and then leaned into her hold so that she her head was resting comfortably on her shoulder. "Thank you.", she mumbled tiredly as her eyes slipped shut. "I won't stop fighting too."

Luna was contemplating responding but decided against it when it seemed that the younger girl was already fast asleep. She gently eased the two of them down so that she was lying on her side, head still resting on her sister's shoulder, with Luna keeping an arm wrapped around her.

However, sleep for her didn't come as easy since her mind was racing nonstop on everything that was going on. Niflheim, the peace treaty, Noctis. She had always dreamed of seeing him and his family again but she couldn't shake the feeling that something deeper was going on beneath the surface.

The silent patter drew her from her thoughts to see Umbra trotting towards her side of the bed and then turned to see Zwei on Weiss' side. The dog had her notebook in his mouth and seeing the girl peacefully asleep, he tipped his head to the side and then settled for propping up his paws on the nightstand and setting the book down next to her. He then jumped up onto the bed and curled up by Weiss' feet. Seeing as she was already awake, Luna took her notebook from Umbra and took a deep breath before opening it up to the most recent page.

What she read was what she expected to see:

 _Not sure if you've heard the news yet, but I wanted to talk to you about it as soon as possible. I don't know how you feel about the situation, but I'm glad we get to see each other after all this time even if it's under these circumstances._

She read the message over a couple of times. _Okay… well, he's not exactly_ against _the idea. That's good._ Luna couldn't help but agree that there could've been better circumstances for them to meet again.

During her frequent communication with Noctis, Luna had definitely developed feelings for the younger man but couldn't bring herself to translate those feelings into one of her letters. What if he didn't feel the same way? Would it make communication awkward between them? What if he stopped talking to her altogether?

Luna shut down those thoughts as soon as they came. She knew Noctis wasn't like that, he wouldn't simply cut off their ties like that. However, she was unsure if he was against the idea of them marrying and just doing it for the sake of the treaty but Luna wouldn't know if he felt the same way or not if she didn't say anything. This wasn't something she could say in a letter though, so maybe this wedding was her only chance to see him and tell him how she felt.

She quietly reached over to Weiss' nightstand to grab her pen. _Yes, I have heard. It was most definitely a shock to me but it means a lot to me that we have this chance. Looking forward to finally seeing you again_ -. She contemplated for a moment before finishing her note, hoping it was the right thing to say. - _there's a lot we have to talk about._

When they were children, she had told Noctis that he was the Chosen King of Light and as Oracle, it was her duty to help him carry out that destiny. Then Noctis promised that he wouldn't let her down. They had only know each other for a short amount of time but in that moment they had formed such a close bond so quickly. She was no longer the Oracle helping the Chosen King, she was Lunafreya helping her friend, Noctis.

Once she finished the note she put the notebook under her pillow and motioned for Umbra to jump up onto the bed, deciding to let the dog rest and send the book first thing in the morning. Lying back on the bed, her heart felt significantly lighter. She may not have been fully convinced about Niflheim's intentions but she was happy that this opportunity was given to her and her sister. After all these years, the two of them would finally see Noctis, Ruby, Yang and King Regis. She and Weiss had hoped that this moment would come and now they were finally able to speak to them face to face.

As she drifted off to sleep, she remembered the promise she made to him all those years ago:

That she would stand by his side, along with their friends and families, no matter what.

* * *

 **I'm aware that in this chapter Weiss, Luna and Ravus have a conversation similar to one the two siblings originally had in Kingsglaive but since I'm pretty much messing with the Kingsglaive (and probably the Prologue Parting Ways) timeline and canon at this point, that scene somewhat happens here instead of how it went in the movie (the joys of AU, I guess). I don't think in canon Noctis knows about Prompto's connection with Luna but here I'll just say they d** **o (Update: I'm pretty sure he does since there' dialogue of Prompto talking about Pryna). Also, Promptos and Weiss are penpals here because i think it's the sweetest thing and they both deserve better, both here and in canon. Also, if the way of how Weiss' 'magic' works doesn't make much sense, once the plot is rolling it will be touched upon (also since Weiss has grown up under the Empire's rule, she's not as skilled in fighting here).**

 **Think that's everything, hope you liked how this chapter went! See you next time!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Do you guys ever get that feeling when reading a story and you know a certain thing is probably going to happen and you spend the rest of the experience just _waiting_ for it to happen? Well, the same thing can apply to writing, I swear I spend a lot of time thinking about this fanfic instead of actually writing it!**

 **So school's starting up and I know this year is going to be hectic for me but I will try and update around the same time I usually do. If updates are late, that will probably be the reason why, just a heads up.**

 **I know I've said this quite a few times, but this fanfic will naturally change things that happened in the game and since this chapter takes places right before the road trip, I'm changing what happens in the Parting Way s Prologue to allow myself some leeway to write my own version.**

 **I said that I would revisit the previous chapter, but I only made a few small changes so they won't affect the story (in a massive way, at least) so it's up to you if you want to re-read it.**

 **Also, for future reference: I have only seen playthroughs of FFXV so I apologise if some aspects are off.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to** **© Rooster Teeth** **and** **© Square Enix** **respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

It had been about an hour until the three royals exited Regis' office, the unshed tears in their eyes throwing Cor and Ignis off for a moment. Noctis was exchanging quiet words with Ignis when his advisor asked him if everything was alright and Cor instinctively put a hand on Ruby and Yang's shoudlers.

Ruby and Yang had practically stayed the night in Noctis' apartment as the news took a quick toll on all of them. The next morning, news about the peace treaty was released to the public, stating that Noctis and Luna's wedding would be held in the Accordian city, Altissia, in a matter of days. Ignis, Gladio and Prompto all had the same idea when they saw the news and went straight over to see them.

When all of them had arrived, they sat in silence, trying to approach the situation as delicately as possible. The term that required the kingdom to surrender all territories except for Insomnia to Niflheim. As extreme and unreasonable those terms seemed, if they wanted peace, it was just something that they would have to deal with. They were told that they were allowed a number of people to accompany the royals to Altissia and had decided that the three men before them were the best choice. They felt like that was the only thing that could lighten up the situation.

"You know, I can already tell some of the people won't be happy about that.", Yang stated.

"Some?", Prompto asked in disbelief. "Pretty much everything outside the Crown City is gonna be given to the Niffs."

"Well, its hard to say how things will be like for people under their rule, both now and in the future.", Gladio said.

"We can only speculate at this point.", Ignis replied.

Noctis had stayed silent throughout the whole exchange as he was still trying to wrap his head around everything. Not only was there a peace treaty in the works but he and Luna were directly in the middle of it. Luna and Weiss had been living under the Empire's rule for over a decade and Noctis could tell that things wouldn't be easy for them even after the treaty signing.

The idea of a peace treaty had never crossed his mind, but now that it had been offered to them, all those years of being at was with the Empire came back to him all at once, overwhelming his thoughts and emotions, unable to decide how he truly felt. They knew that the Empire was responsible for the suffering of millions of people, friends, family and strangers alike and the invasion of Tenebrae was a painful reminder of that.

Ruby did all she could to try and put her feelings aside and move on with their lives but whenever they received their messages from Weiss, it reminded them of the guilt they had for leaving them behind. She never mentioned it, but given how brutal and unpredictable Niflheim was, she was worried that one of these letters were going to be their last. However, Yang knew that hating on the Empire and beating themselves up about leaving them behind weren't going to relieve them of their guilt.

Luna had refused to escape with them because she didn't want to leave her only family. If Yang had to be completely honest, she would've done the same for Noctis and Ruby and living in constant guilt wouldn't have been a healthy choice. She remembered Regis assuring them that they wouldn't wish that fate upon anyone and they had learned to accept that what happened wasn't their fault. They were only children, it was out of their control.

Ruby cleared her throat nervously. "Well, if we sign a treaty and Noct and Luna's marriage is supposed to be a symbol of peace, then the war would finally be over and no one would have to die, right?"

Noctis smiled gratefully at his sister's attempts to lighten up the situation. Signing the treaty would bring stop the fighting, yes, but would that solve the problems among the populace?

"I guess it's the only good option we've got. Looks like we need to make the best of it.", he responded, his voice low.

Prompto scoffed, momentarily catching everyone off guard. "It's not all bad, I mean, you get to marry Lady Lunafreya!", he said the last part of that tease in a singsong voice.

Noctis tried to hide his blush by lowering his face. "He's excited, I can tell.", Gladio smirked. The prince could hear Yang saying 'ooh!' in a mocking voice and began to playfully poke his face causing him to grimace and bat her hand away.

Ruby squealed. "So are we! Apparently, Weiss is going to be Luna's maid of honour and Yang and I are the bridesmaids."

"You certainly look forward to it.", Ignis said with a slight smile.

Yang put her hands out in a mock surrender. "Yeah, well, how could we not be? We're going to Altissia to see Luna and Weiss again, not to mention all of us are going out on the road to see the wedding!"

Prompto shrugged. "I can't believe that we're gonna see the outside of the city!"

"Wonder what it's gonna be like?", Gladio asked.

"It will definitely be different to what we're used to seeing.", Ignis replied.

Noctis nodded. The only other time him and his sisters had left the safety of the Wall was when they travelled to Tenebrae. However it was possible that a lot could've changed over the last twelve years and they weren't exactly paying attention to the scenery when they were escaping with their lives. "Not sure what to expect so it will definitely be full of surprises."

"I guess that's a good thing about the unexpected, you never know what's gonna happen but that just adds to the excitement.", Yang added, trying to give a positive perspective on things.

"I hear that.", Prompto said.

"Regardless-", Ignis continued. "-I'm sure it will be an interesting endeavour."

Ruby jumped up and twirled around to face everyone. "So, who wants to get ready for a road trip?"

* * *

Luna and Weiss were saying goodbyes to their retainers as they were exiting the manor. "Have a lovely journey.", Maria said as she brought them both into a hug

Weiss chuckled. "Don't miss us too much while we're gone."

"I think that's going to be impossible.", the older woman replied.

"You'll all be fine. If anything, we're going to miss you too much.", Luna said with a warm smile.

"Lunafreya, Weiss.", they heard Ravus bark from behind them, causing them to break apart in surprise. The three women stood stiffly before them. "The airship if waiting for us, so if you could please…" He didn't bother to finish his sentence and headed out of the front door.

They stood in silence before Maria put a supportive hand on both of their shoulders. "Take care of each other. And that includes Ravus."

"If he'll let us.", Luna sighed.

They picked up their bags and made their way to the outside, where a Niflheim airship's ramp was lowering. They were escorted outside by two soldiers and saw another conversing with Ravus. They couldn't catch what they were saying but judging by the look on Ravus' face, it couldn't have been pleasant.

"I don't get it.", Weiss whispered. "If the wedding's supposed to be in Altissia, why are we heading to Lucis?"

Luna eyed Ravus suspiciously. "Obviously something must've changed. We should proceed with caution." Weiss nodded in agreement. Getting closer, they saw something they weren't expecting.

Leaning beside the airship was a girl, about Weiss' age, wearing a black and white Niflheim-style uniform. She had amber eyes and long raven hair with a silk ribbon tied up in a bow on the top of her head. She was loosely holding a metal detector in her hand, looking downright bored. When she saw Luna and Weiss approach, she pushed herself away from the side and held up the device.

"Arms up.", she demanded bluntly, her expression blank.

Weiss rose an eyebrow. "Seriously? They've already searched our bags. What could we possibly have-?"

"Weiss.", Luna interrupted, setting down her bag. "Just do what she says."

The black-haired girl smirked. "Smart girl." Luna doubted there was anything friendly behind that response. Weiss sighed and begrudgingly complied, letting the other girl swiftly scan the two of them.

Luna eyed her suspiciously, as if she had seen her from somewhere but couldn't put her finger on it until she got a vague idea. "So, what is the reason behind the detector if they've already searched us?"

The girl sighed. "To be honest, nothing. They just want me to 'learn the ropes'.", she finished with fake enthusiasm giving the most forced smile either of them had seen and tightened her grip on the device.

The Oracle ignored her sarcasm. "Are you… Chief Besithia's daughter?" The two sisters had heard the researcher's name in the news and had sometimes seen a young girl, similar to the one before them, beside him. She had never caught the girl's name so she and Weiss simply called her 'Besithia'.

Her eyes snapped up to Luna. "Lab assistant.", she curtly corrected, with a slight growl in her throat. The fiery look in her eyes told Luna to not press for further conversation with her and the blond happily obliged, a little guilty that she made an incorrect assumption.

Weiss, however, didn't get the message. "Are you accompanying us to Lucis?", she asked as the girl scanned her next. The look on the princess' face practically screamed that she didn't trust Besithia stayed alert, trying to get as much information as possible.

Besithia looked up to the princess and snorted at her, which caught her off guard. "Yeah, like I want to spend a minute in that kingdom for a boring peace treaty when there are more… interesting things to do back home."

Weiss narrowed her eyes and looked to Luna, who mirrored her expression. "What interesting things?"

She shrugged. "I have my hobbies." She turned to look at the lead guard. "Hey, they're both clean!" The soldier only grumbled but she took that as response.

Besithia was about to continue speaking when she heard barking, causing her to stiffen. All of a sudden, the princesses' dogs came bounding out with Gentiana walking behind them, her eyes closed. Luna and Weiss immediately knelt down to greet the dogs and began to playfully stroke them. "They wanted to see you off." The woman looked to Besithia. "I hope that is alright."

The girl, who was eyeing the dogs, looked to the guard anxiously but the man simply shrugged it off, causing her to whine slightly. She looked back to see Zwei barking as he licked Weiss' face. "I know, I wish you guys could come too, but don't worry it won't be for long."

Luna stroked their furs. "I promise you'll see all of us soon." They barked excitedly at the news.

Gentiana smiled. "I promise they will be taken good care off in your absence." They thanked her as the woman unexpectedly brought them into a hug. "Be safe, girls.", she quietly whispered to them, her grave tone of seriousness confusing them.

Just as they were about to respond, Ravus called them into the ship. With a final goodbye to Gentiana and the dogs, they walked up the ramp and gave them a wave.

"Safe travels.", Besithia flippantly called out of the roaring engine with a small smirk. When they were in the air and fading out of sight, Besithia turned around and jumped when saw Gentiana behind her, eyes still closed. As if sensing her gaze on her, the older woman smiled, which she thought was creepy. She then looked down to the dogs who were mirroring her expression as if mocking her.

She straightened herself and resumed a stony expression and began to walk past them, not saying a word, trying to appear as composed as possible. Zwei started yapping ecstatically and nuzzled her leg as she passed. Besithia exclaimed in disgust and roughly nudged him away, shuddering. "You should learn to control your mutts.", she spat bitterly.

Gentiana's smile only widened. "I assure you, they're perfectly well trained."

Besithia stared at her for a moment and then scoffed as she continued to walk away, muttering something about the woman being crazy and reached down to wipe the dog hair off of her leg.

What she didn't know was that Gentiana was watching after her, almost lovingly.

* * *

"Still a bummer that I don't get to go with you guys.", Iris said sadly as she helped the girls pack for their trip. Since Ruby was still quite young to live in an apartment on her own, Yang offered for her sister to stay with her and Ruby was more than happy to accept.

"I know.", Yang said putting a hand around her shoulder. "We'll be back before you know it." The younger girl didn't look so convinced. "But look at it this way: at least you don't have to suffer on the road with us and the guys."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Don't get me wrong, I love them, but who knows what it's going to be like on the road with them, all cramped up in the car."

"Hey.", Yang said. "Remember you can ride with me on my bike."

Her sister nodded. "That sounds cool." She sighed. "Honestly, I can't wait for the day I can drive a car."

"What about the camping?", Iris giggled. "I feel sorry for the guys, Gladio snores like an old broken engine."

"Lucky for us, Ruby and I are staying in a separate one.", Yang said.

"Just make sure you pitch on the other side of the campsite.", Iris whispered mischievously, causing the three of them to roar with laughter. "Besides, someone has to stay behind to make no one works themselves to death."

The girls made a noise of agreement. "I can't help but feel that a lot things are going to change once the treaty is signed.", Ruby said absentmindedly as packed a spare set of clothes. "Noct will be married to Luna but will things will be different for us?"

"It's hard to say at this point but maybe nothing too drastic will change.", Yang said.

Iris shrugged. "Maybe my dad will finally budge on being a Shield for the two of you.", she suggested.

Yang sighed. "Still think protecting two people will be too much of a job."

"I could handle it.", Iris replied defensively.

"Never said that you could, just that starting out with two might be a little unfair."

The Amicitia girl waved her hand dismissively. "I wouldn't mind. Besides, Gladio started out when he was younger than my age so it wouldn't be too out there."

"I think you're forgetting the tiny detail of your dad and brother not wanting you to even touch a weapon.", Yang pointed out, putting a hand on her hip. As the younger sister, Gladio's big brother instinct naturally kicked in and both he and their father didn't want Iris to be burdened with the responsibility they had. Even though she knew the basics of combat training, they had hoped that she would never have to use them and instead focus on living her own life.

"They'll have to let me do it eventually. I'm not going to be their little girl forever.", Iris replied. She intended to say it as a joke but it had come off more solemn than she thought.

Ruby shuddered dramatically. "They dread the day."

Yang chuckled. "Bright side, you wouldn't have to worry about the hassle of training Ruby.", she said pointing a thumb to her younger sister.

"I heard that!", Ruby yelled from the other side of the room.

"And?", Yang asked.

After a few more moments of packing in silence, Iris spoke up again. "So where are the guys now?"

"They've gone out to get a few things before we leave tomorrow.", Ruby replied. "Noct's also gone back to the Citadel to pick up some other things but we're gonna go there later."

"Uh-huh.", Iris replied simply. She waited a while longer before asking what was lingering on her mind. "How does… Noct feel about the whole thing?"

Ruby and Yang both froze in their actions at the hidden meaning behind that question. It was no secret to them that Iris had some form of feelings for their brother but what made it heartbreaking was that Noctis was none the wiser to how she felt. Whether what she had was a fleeting crush or not, the last thing they wanted to do was hurt their friend's feelings. The best thing they could do was let her down gently.

"He's not exactly hunky dory about leaving all the territories to the Niffs.", Ruby replied nervously.

Iris looked at her expectantly as both of them knew that wasn't what she meant.

Yang took that as a cue to continue. "But he's excited to see Luna again after all this time."

They didn't miss the momentary upset expression on Iris' face before she looked down to the floor and stood in thought for a long moment. When she finally nodded, she looked up, smiling faintly. "Well, it's been about twelve years, of course he'd be excited." She took out a bundle of clothing out of Yang's drawer and folded it into the bag. "Really wish I could meet her, and Lady Weiss."

Ruby tilted her head to the side. "She should be coming to Insomnia with Luna after the wedding so I'm sure you'll get the chance."

"I hope so.", she replied. "They sound like great people." She turned to face them. "From what I've heard, they were the first friends you made outside the palace."

Yang nodded. "Yep, we all got pretty close in the time we spent in Tenebrae and I'm pretty sure that Luna, Weiss and Ravus felt the same."

Iris hummed in agreement. "I can imagine. But it's hard to think about what it's like under the Empire's rule."

They could catch Ruby cringe to herself as she was still quite sensitive to that fact. "But theyll be coming back when this is over so it'll be all good.", she said nervously, more to reassure herself. She made her way to her dresser where a little box sat and pulled out her scarlet necklace. "Been a while since I used this little thing."

Yang followed her line of sight and smirked. "Same. It's been forever since we've done some good training with it."

Iris put a hand on her hip, examining the crystal necklace. "I don't think I would be able to get used to that kind of magic. How are can you use them, anyways?"

"I don't exactly know. We've had them since we were kids but I think dad told us it was some sort of magic we have a special talent for and that only we're able to use because of how it's 'gifted' to use.", Ruby explained.

"It's always just been… there.", Yang added. "I mean, it's not like Noct and dad's magic, but at the same time, it's kind of similar."

"I get that.", Iris replied.

They stood in the apartment with their travel bags by the door. Yang stood between her sister and her friend and threw an arm around both of them. A new chapter in their lives would begin in a matter of hours and though everything was planned out for them, they couldn't help but the unpredictability of the world outside, what lied ahead for them.

Yang threw her arms around the other two girls. "So tomorrow's the day."

"Yep.", Ruby agreed. Her voice chipper but there was a somber tone behind it.

Iris rested her head on Yang's shoulder. "I'm sure you guys will be fine out there."

The blond nodded and wiped her eyes as tears were about to spill out. "So… when do you think the treaty signing will be?"

Ruby shrugged. "Dad said it's still undecided but probably some time after the wedding. Or maybe around that time."

"That sounds about right."

"Make sure our dads don't work themselves too hard.", Yang said to Iris with a smirk.

The girl sighed dramatically. "I'll try, but you know how set they are on what they do, especially considering what's coming up. People say my dad's stubborn in that regard."

"Same with ours.", Yang added.

Ruby tilted her head to the side as if in thought. "And people wonder where we all get it from." The other girls turned to give Ruby an unamused look. "What? Don't act like you don't know!"

The three girls then burst out laughing at their antics and for a moment they felt like things were still completely normal, like they weren't royals or nobles. That their lives weren't about to drastically change. Whether they were for better or for worse remained to be seen.

* * *

The morning of their departure, the group headed for the Citadel where Cor was waiting outside beside the Regalia, the royals' father's car. The Marshal said his greetings and quietly took their bags to load them into the the trunk of the car. "His Majesty is anticipating your arrival in the throne room."

"We'll be right there.", Noctis replied solemnly as he began ascending the steps. They didn't see their father that much since the announcement of the peace treaty as so much preparation had to be put into the days leading up to the signing.

A hand on his shoulder caused him to pause for a moment. "Noct.", Ignis warned, a stern expression evident on his features. "This is the last time you speak with the king before you leave today. Do try to not cause any hassle.

"Ah, don't pester him, Iggy.", Prompto said. "It's just his dad."

"Exactly.", Noctis replied. "Besides, why aren't you giving the same lecture to them?", he asked as he gestured to Ruby and Yang.

"Because we're not the ones who usually cause a scene.", Yang replied with a smirk.

Noctis raised an eyebrow. "Says the girl who yelled at dad when he told us about the treaty."

"From what I heard, you were the one who kicked the chair.", Gladio added.

"He's got a point, Noct.", Ruby said cheerfully, clearing enjoying the exchange.

Before they knew it, they were inside the palace and directly outside the throne room. Taking in a deep breath, they all entered the room, their eyes immediately falling on the king, their father, sitting on the throne, ready to say their goodbyes.

* * *

"Well, that could've gone better.", Prompto said nonchalantly as they all descended the stairs of the Citadel.

"You can say that again.", Ruby said.

Ignis looked to Noctis. "You could've least been a little more respectful.", he sighed. "I taught you all royal etiquette for a reason, Noct."

"Come on, Specs.", Noctis replied defensively. "It's just our dad, we don't _have_ to be so formal in front of him."

"He's got a point, Iggy. Besides, even though you taught them that, doesn't mean that they listened.", Gladio retorted with a smirk.

Yang shrugged. "That's one way of putting it."

"Your Highnesses!", a voice called out. They all turned to see Drautos, captain of the Kingsglaive, accompanying the king down the stairs. The king had felt the same, that their farewell was too formal, and wanted to have a more meaningful and heartfelt conversation.

Noctis sighed and began jogging back up the steps, not wanting their father to wear himself out anymore than he already had and his sisters followed suit.

Regis reached a hand out to assure them that he was fine and the three stopped by his side. "I do not want to leave anything unsaid. The burden you all bear is shared with those close to you."

"And you can't say the same about yourself?", Noctis scoffed.

"At least that means he's been there, Noct.", Yang added, gently pushing him to the side.

Regis smirked and looked to the three men before them. "Gentlemen, this is not from a king to his subjects but from a man to his friends: do not guide my children, but stand beside them through the trials they may face."

Ignis bowed. "Of course, Your Majesty."

"We'll do all that we can to protect the royals.", Gladio said with a determined nod.

"Y-yes, of course we will.", Prompto stuttered, struggling to sound just as confident.

"Like you even have to ask them, dad.", Ruby said. "We'll pull our own weight as well. Don't want them to have all the glory."

"You'll have nothing to worry about.", Yang told Regis.

The king sighed. "I'll always worry about you, Yang."

Noctis put a hand on his father's shoulder. "We know, but we'll be fine."

Ignis, Gladio and Prompto continued down the stairs and began climbing into the car to give the family their privacy.

"I know you will.", he sighed. When he next spoke, his tone was more cheerful. "Give my best to Luna and Weiss and, Noctis, do try to be polite around your lovely fiancé."

The prince exaggeratedly put a hand over his heart. "Do you really think I wouldn't, dad? I'm hurt."

Ruby nudged her brother in his side. "We'll keep him in check."

"More like you'll keep _each other_ in check.", Regis chuckled. For a moment, his gaze faltered, betraying an emotion that his children couldn't read.

"Dad, is something wrong?", Yang asked worryingly.

"I just… I need to know if you are all ready for what lies ahead."

"Of course.", Yang said.

"More than ready.", Ruby added determinedly.

"As ready as I'll be.", Noctis sighed.

Regis nodded and put an aged hand on Yang's shoulder, then Ruby's and finally Noctis'. "Good, because wherever you go, the line of Lucian follows. Take pride in that."

As they stood before their father, they could see the love, support and encouragement in his eyes. His sincere words made their hearts swell with emotion. He gave a heartfelt smile, speaking the words that would stay with them for the entirety of their journey.

"Walk tall, my children."

* * *

Regis stayed silent as Noctis climbed into the car with his friends and his daughters said their goodbyes to Cor before jumping onto the motorbike. He stared longingly as they drove away and Regis couldn't help but feel the twist in his heart when he saw the cheerful, innocent smiles of his children get further away from him. That stirring in his heart that told him not to let them go as he walked back into the Citadel got stronger and stronger with every step.

At the top of the stairs, he paused for a moment before turning around, as if expecting to see them all there again.

* * *

 **Hmmm, I wonder who Besithia's 'lab assistant' is. Hmmmm.**

 **I know this chapter is slightly shorter than what I usually write but I kind of wanted that ending there. :)**

 **And I know I'm probably not explaining it well, but the girls' 'magic' works likes Semblances and Ruby and Yang will probably be able to apply elemental magic (e.g. fire, ice, lightning) to them like the way that they can apply Dust to them since the group can use that kind of magic, though that may change.**

 **Also, quick question, how would you guys feel about me possibly incorporating Luna and Weiss' time in Lucis into the beginning of the road trip?**

 **Thanks for reading, see you guys next time!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Last chapter, I'm not sure if many noticed that the logic of 'our merry band of six people not fitting in the Regalia' didn't work out since I was stumped for an alternative and thanks to 'soberan 123' for offering the idea of Yang having her bike. So the previous chapter will be changed according to that, just a heads up!**

 **Also, to the Guest reviewer: In the U.K. we use commas differently, where they can go on the outside of dialogue, but thank you for highlighting it. Edit: okay, I've read stuff that contradicts what I said, sorry (though I'm more comfortable with my writing style).**

 **I'm gonna be skipping and summing up certain aspects of the beginning of the game since not much of it will change and it would probably get tedious if I focus on beginning quests and dialogue. I've also decided to incorporate Kingsglaive here and since that also plays out pretty much the same plot wise, certain scenes will be skipped/put in description as well, not sure if it worked out well, please let me know.**

 **Hopefully, after this chapter of setting up plot stuff, we can move on to the actual story. Oh, boy I'm so excited for this! Thanks to everyone reading and reviewing, so glad you're enjoying it!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV (or Kingsglaive) and their respective characters and stories. They belong to** **© Rooster Teeth** **and** **© Square Enix** **respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

"Why?", Ruby asked to no one in particular as she held Crescent Rose loosely in her grip as they went to take out a group of Reapertails. "Just… why?" The group's car had broken down as they were on their way to Altissia and had to push it all the way to the garage in Hammerhead. Well, Ruby and Prompto were complaining most of the time but they claimed that they were helping.

 _"It's official, we're gonna die out here.", Prompto whined dramatically._

 _Ruby wiped an arm over her forehead. "I feel like I'm going to burst into flames!"_

 _"Then take the cape off.", Yang said as rolled her bike. Ruby had insisted on helping Yang with her bike but the group clearly saw it as a ruse to get out of helping with the car. The youngest of them begrudgingly agreed._

 _"You kidding?, Noctis asked. "That thing is like a permanent part of her outfit."_

 _"It's her funeral.", Gladio replied._

 _"It would be nice if none of us died from heat exhaustion.", Ignis said as he steered the car whilst everyone else pushed it._

 _Prompto slammed a hand against the Regalia. "Easy for you to say. You're not the one pushing this thing in the blazing hot sun!"_

 _Noctis panted and looked at Ignis through the corner of his eye. "Remind me why we put you in charge again."_

 _Everyone else grumbled in agreement and Ignis merely shook his head in bemusement._

With the group having used up their funds to pay for the repairments, they had to take up a hunt to earn some money. Ruby was psyched to fight monsters at first, since she was itching to use her weapon for real, not so much when they actually came across a herd of them. Yang's gauntlets were already locked and loaded and was ready to jump into the fight, as was Gladio since he was holding his sword with violent enthusiasm.

Noctis bumped her on the shoulder as he summoned his Engine Blade. "Come on, sis. You wanna be treated like a grown up, time to take responsibility."

Ruby glared him. "You were waiting for this moment, weren't you?"

Her brother, however, ignored her sarcasm and already went down to business taking down the monster. Ruby nodded and readied her scythe and began shooting at the Reapertails. It took a little more than a few shots to take it down but with Yang's combined help they were able to get by. "Piece of cake!", the blonde yelled triumphantly. "We can take on anything!"

Gladio rose an eyebrow at her. "You sound as if you want us to do this all the time."

Prompto winced. "Please don't jinx it."

* * *

Luna and Weiss exited the airship outside of Lucis where a car was waiting for them. A guard held the door opened for the two of them and they swiftly climbed in. The ride itself was just as uncomfortable as the trip on the airship, silent, awkward and just plain unsettling. They spent the time admiring the passing scenery. It was rare, almost an impossibility, for them to leave the confines of their manor and seeing the rest of the world. Luna had always wondered what Insomnia would look like since all she knew was that it's structure and landscape was far different that Tenebrae's.

Weiss gently nudged Luna's arm, which broke her out of her thoughts, and the girl pointed directly in front of them in complete silence. It took a while for Luna to focus on what was in the distance properly, but as they got closer, she could see it: the Wall that separated Insomnia from the rest of Lucis.

With their hands intertwined, Luna and Weiss braced themselves for the moment they would pass through, unable to gauge what would happen next.

* * *

After taking the monsters out, the group got a call from Cindy that a hunter called Dave was missing and it was now their job to make sure he was okay. After coming across another herd of monsters, the fight went on until they found the cabin that Dave was holed up in. He had offered them to take up a bounty to earn some more money. However, with daylight fading fast, Ignis suggested that they make camp and take on the hunt in the morning. With everything that had happened in the last several hours, the rest of the group were more than happy to agree and with that, the two tents were pitched.

Yang laughed as she laid out her sleeping bag in the tent she was sharing with Ruby. "This is so exciting!"

Ruby rolled her eyes in amusement. "Yeah, nothing like sleeping out in the wilderness where monsters are waiting to turn us into their next meal."

The blond lightly punched her arm. "You're loving it."

The dark haired girl valiantly tried and failed to hide her growing grin. "Alright, it is pretty cool fighting all these monsters. And everything is like dad described when we were younger!"

Yang plopped down on her sleeping bag, crossing her legs. "Wonder what he would say if he could see us now."

"Probably regret sending us out when he he finds out that the kids he sent to a wedding were currently fighting for their lives.", Ruby quipped.

"That's dad for you.", Yang chuckled.

* * *

At some point during the ride, Weiss had laid her head on Luna's shoulder and rested her eyes since they were unable to get any rest on the airship. Luna decided to stay wide awake and remain alert on the situation. She would sometimes forget that Weiss was still practically a child and had to go through things she shouldn't have. She was the Oracle, Ravus was with the Niflheim army and Weiss was in the middle of it.

The car came to a sudden stop, jolting Weiss fully awake. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and cautiously looked out of her window. A Niflheim ambassador had climbed out of the car and was now talking to a duo of men in what she assumed to be Lucian uniforms. Their driver had also exited the car and one of the guards had taken his place.

The man looked over his shoulder to the two women. They both straightened up. He gave a formal nod and a welcoming smile. "Your Highnesses." He had started up the car again and drove through the palace gates. "Welcome to Insomnia."

Their hearts rose in their chests; they were going to see them again.

* * *

Ruby sighed contently as she scraped the remnants of her dinner onto her fork and stuffed it into her mouth. "Just like home."

"I hear that.", Noctis added and turned to Ignis. "Thanks, Specs."

The advisor nodded and went to collect everyone's plates with Yang standing up to help him. "My pleasure."

"Not gonna lie, the outside world is not what I expected compared to Insomnia.", Prompto said.

Gladio rose an eyebrow. "What did you think it was gonna be like? Better?"

"Worse?", Noctis asked.

Prompto tilted his head to the side in thought and then shrugged. "It's just kind of… strange, I guess? Like nothing I'd ever seen before."

"Join the club.", Ruby replied. She turned to Noctis. "I know we visited Tenebrae, but does that really count after all those years?"

Noctis contemplated his sister's question for a moment and then sighed. "I don't know, but either way, it's safe to say the world most likely changed a lot in that time."

"Looks like we're all in the same boat here.", Gladio said. "We're pretty much in the dark here."

"I guess that just makes this even more exciting!", Prompto exclaimed.

Noctis chuckled. "That's one way of putting it."

The sun had just began to set over the horizon, the amber lit sky transitioning into dark blue and the team had begun settling into their tents for the night. Ruby was slipping into her sleeping bag when she noticed Yang holding her phone to her ear for a long moment before setting it down. She repeated the process several times.

"What's up?", she asked innocently.

Yang sighed in frustration. "Been trying to call dad, nothing. Then been trying to call Cor, nothing."

Ruby gripped the cover of her sleeping bag. "They're probably busy with the treaty arrangements."

She stared at her phone solemnly. "Probably."

The younger sister gestured for Yang to get into her makeshift bed. "Come on, once they're free they'll definitely see the numerous missed calls from you."

The blond sighed again. "Fine.", she replied in defeat. "If you insist."

Ruby beamed at her. "Thanks, sis." Just as they were about to lie down, the girls heard a light rustle of the tent flap and they sat up to see Zwei sitting obediently at their feet, tail wagging and tongue hanging out. "Zwei!", Ruby exclaimed. She patted the space between her and Yang and the dog immediately trotted up to lie down beside them and dropped the notebook he was carrying.

The two girls went to ruffle his fur and the dog growled happily and turned on his back so that they could scratch his stomach. Yang chuckled. "Didn't expect to see you so soon." The dog only yapped in response. She then picked up the book and flipped it to the most recent page and an extra piece of paper fell out.

"What did Weiss write?", Ruby asked as she picked up Zwei to pet his head.

Yang then spoke out what the Tenebraen princess had written: _Just about ready to leave Tenebrae now. Wish I could send a picture of my dress along with Luna's, they're so cute! This is really nerve-wrecking but I'm excited to see you guys again! See you soon!_

 _P.S. Give that letter to Prompto, wanted to quickly send him one more letter before we left._

Yang got to her feet and picked up the other piece of paper before leaving the tent. "One second."

Ruby smirked as she left and set Zwei down so that she could pick up the notebook. She pulled out a pen from her bag and went to writing a response. She was so excited to hang out with Weiss and Luna, the thought of it reminded her of the moments they spent with each other as children. In one of Weiss' letters, she had mentioned that Ravus had joined Niflheim's army. She rarely wrote about Ravus after that and Ruby and Yang decided not to pry.

 _Can't wait to see you too, gonna feel so weird meeting up after this long! And don't get me started on my dress, don't know how long I'm going last in it!_ \- Ruby.

She closed the book but didn't send Zwei on his way so that Yang could write her response.

Meanwhile, in the guys' tent, Prompto was currently teasing Noctis about the letter Luna had sent him and the prince groaned as he backed up into the wall of the tent so that he could get some privacy in reading the notebook entry.

 _Ready to leave for Tenebrae with Weiss. Looking forward to see you all again._

Noctis smiled lightly as he read the note. After twelve years, it was becoming a reality, not long now until they would be together again. "Seems like someone looks excited.", Prompto quipped.

The prince gave a shrug that seemed a little too casual. "I guess."

"Uh-huh. Sure.", the blonde replied.

Ignis raised an eyebrow. "If you say so.", he said at the same time as Prompto.

Noctis raised the notebook to hide his reddening face and distracted himself from his friend's antics by writing his response.

 _Same here. Making camp in Hammerhead but should be heading to Altissia by the end of tomorrow. Hope you two have a safe journey. See you soon._

There was a familiar low growl that came from the front of the tent and Noctis looked up to see Yang and Prompto petting Umbra whilst the latter was using his free hand to write his response to Weiss. Gladio looked up from where he was reading his book. "Still don't get how it works with those dogs."

"They're magic.", Prompto said as if it were the most obvious statement. "What's there to get?"

Gladio sighed and went back to reading and Ignis merely rolled his eyes.

Prompto slipped one of his photos of them in battle between the folded paper and went to hand Yang his letter response before pausing and giving her what she thought was a stern look. "Don't read it."

Yang held her hands up into mock defence. "Wouldn't dream of it, man." She took the paper and gave a small wave to the group. "Night, guys.", she said and heard the four men reply as she left.

After Yang wrote her response and slipped Prompto's back into the book, the princesses sent Zwei on his way, holding the tent flap open for the small dog to see him trotting away alongside Umbra. The two of them fell back into their beds and turned off the lamp, plunging the tent into darkness. They said their good nights and went to go to sleep. In a matter of days, Noctis and Luna would be married, Ruby and Yang would see their friends again and Prompto would meet the people that helped change his life for the better.

It may never be like when they were as children, but Ruby hoped that they would all be able to build all kinds of new memories together. Perhaps one day, the days of terror and confinement will be a distant and scary memory.

 _Yeah. Everything's going to be great._

* * *

They were not there.

Noctis was gone, Ruby was gone and Yang was gone. They were not supposed to be here. They were all supposed to meet up in Altissia but something went wrong. It was obvious that the Empire was planning something and having the two of them in Lucis seemed to have something to do with that. Their driver, Nyx Ulric, later told them a fellow soldier was mysteriously killed when she was tasked to escort them out of Tenebrae.

Crowe Altius. Weiss wished they could've met her; the woman had risked her life to help them escape, only for them to arrive here any way and she was left out in the open and vulnerable.

Luna's face took on a sorrowful look and reluctantly placed a hand on Nyx's arm. The man looked surprised. "I'm very sorry… for what happened." She squeezed her eyes shut momentarily. She was terrible at this.

Nyx merely took her hand off his arm and smiled sympathetically. "It's alright. Accidents happen, I guess.", his voice sounded slightly choked up at the end, the man trying to keep his soldier front up and solid.

A stammering sound came from Weiss and the girl bowed her head, avoiding her sister and Nyx's gaze. "My condolences." She began walking away so that the two of them couldn't see her glistening tears. "Excuse me."

She strode over towards the balcony, plucking a glass of champagne off the tray of a passing waitress. Looking over Insomnia, Weiss took in the glistening fireworks lighting up the dark canvas of a sky. She wondered if the festivities were like this all of the time. She couldn't remember the last time she attended a party. Weiss gripped the balcony with her free hand and looked beyond the Wall, as if expecting to see the friends she made all those years ago.

The sound of footsteps stopping beside her caused her to break from her thoughts and look at her new company. Weiss recognised him as the Regis' Shield, Clarus, as his son was to Noctis. The two of them gave a nod of greeting to each other and Weiss returned her gaze to the distance. "Enjoying the party?"

Weiss brushed a stray hand of hair from her face. "It's definitely pleasant."

"What do you think of Insomnia?"

She took a small sip of her drink, taking a long time to swallow. "It's a lovely city. Always wondered what it was like."

"Well, I'm glad that you're able to enjoy what it has to offer, even if it is under these circumstances."

"Thank you. And I'm sorry that we missed the prince, the princesses and their friends. I wish we could've seen them."

Clarus stiffened and cleared his throat. "Perhaps you still can."

Weiss frowned. "I hope so." She unceremoniously threw back her head as took big gulp of champagne.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, but are you in the right position to drink?"

Another generous sip. "With all due respect, Sir, but I think I need it."

"Careful.", the Shield smirked. "King Regis might have to keep watch over you."

"Don't worry, the Empire's got that covered", she sighed solemnly.

Clarus' smile faded. Weiss knew this was his attempt at making light of the situation but she was finding it very hard to. For the past twelve years, Weiss was just about able to cope with what Niflheim had done to them, grateful that she had people like Luna, Gentiana and their loyal retainers. Not to mention she had sent frequent letters to Prompto. Over the years, she had gotten to know the blond and had soon realised that, despite the two of them being in dissimilar circumstances, they both had to deal with loneliness in their childhood, finding comfort in their communication with each other. She had looked forward to finally meeting him but life never went well for her, Luna or anybody else for that matter.

The last couple of days had started to remind her of that grave reality.

The peace treaty was shady in itself, a brave soldier had lost their life for them, Ravus had joined the enemy ranks, Noctis and the others were who knows where and Luna had her duties as Oracle.

Where did that leave her? What could she do to help?

"Who knows?", Clarus asked, almost to himself. "Maybe things will change someday."

Weiss turned her head fully to look at the at the Shield with a surprised expression, as if the mere thought of what he said was impossible. She gave a hopeful smile, glad that she was hearing that encouragement and positivity from others. Astrals knew she needed it.

"Maybe." And for a moment, Weiss shut down any thoughts about the sorrow and despair caused in her life. She simply stood looking over the whole of Insomnia, with the hope of a better future. For her, for Luna and for all of their friends.

With newfound resolve, she set her glass on a nearby table and smiled at Clarus. "Thank you, Sir Amicitia. Excuse me, I need to talk to my sister."

He gave a small bow. "Your Highness."

Weiss turned and walked back the way she came but her smile faded when she saw that Luna was no longer talking to Nyx. She was nowhere to be seen and the soldier was standing on guard like he was before they began talking. She slowly scanned the crowd, expecting to see her sister exchanging pleasantries with the guests or even Regis. Nothing. Weiss considered asking someone to help her find Luna, but decided against it since a search for the princess would likely cause a scene and Luna couldn't have gone far anyway.

After a few minutes of quiet searching, Weiss noticed that no one was on the other end of the rooftop and figured it would be worth to look there. She rounded a corner to see Luna-

-being grabbed by General Glauca. Images of her mother being slain by the monstrous soldier flashed mercilessly before her eyes. The way he towered over them reminded them of how helpless they were. Luna went from staring down Glauca with resolve to looking at Weiss in horror.

She breathed her sister's name. "Go!", she choked out. The Oracle had no time to react as the general backhanded her with such force that she fell to the ground. Weiss wanted nothing more than to help Luna but she knew that she needed to warn Regis, Nyx, Clarus, anybody. She turned in her heels to go back the way she came and was unable to register the sound of something swooshing beside her and the sharp pain that suddenly exploded on the side of her head and collapsed to the ground unconscious.

It seemed like chaos was following them all the way from Tenebrae.

* * *

In the morning, the group packed up their camping equipment Noctis decided it would be good for them to develop their skills with using elemacy and afterwards they set out on the hunt that Dave laid out for them. The mutant dualhorn wasn't a complete walk in the park but with their combined skills and efforts, they were able to take it down.

"I never want to deal with those things again!", Ruby panted out as Gladio and Noctis inspected the monster's corpse.

"We would've finished it off sooner if _someone_ didn't take his time taking pictures in the middle of battle.", Ignis pointed out, shooting an accusingly look at Prompto.

Prompto gaped and held up his camera. "How could I not?"

Yang went over to his side to inspect the photos he was looking through. "Hey, these are pretty good considering, you know, monster fight and all."

"See?", Prompto said to Ignis. "It's nice to be appreciated."

"Although I do agree you should probably consider if it's a smart idea or not."

The photographer sighed. "You know I'm gonna do it anyway."

"Right, what was I thinking?", Yang asked with a smirk.

At some point Gladio and Noctis had went over to them with what they collected and when Prompto stopped at a picture of Noctis fighting and chuckled. "Not gonna lie, Noct, not the best way to look in the middle of a battle."

In confusion, Noctis leaned forward to get a better look and then his eyes widened and made a dive for the camera which Prompto avoided. "Delete that one!"

Prompto moved out of Noctis' way. "Definitely not, this one's going in a frame!" Noctis then gave chase and struggled over the camera which resulted in him tackling Prompto to the ground, holding the camera up in triumph as he quickly erased the embarrassing photo. The blonde could only pout in defeat.

Ignis shook his head. "Is it crass for me to say that they're idiots?"

Ruby shrugged. "Maybe, but they're our idiots."

"That's one way of putting it.", Gladio said.

With the Regalia repaired, the group we given one more errand to run before they could finally catch a boat from Galdin Quay, which was delivering a small package to a motel owner. Seeing as they were in the area, Ignis took the initiative to replenish their supplies and had the group help take stock of what they already had so that they could spend their money accordingly.

Ignis parked the car by the outpost and Yang pulled over beside them. She and Ruby hopped off the bike and ran their hands through their hair, which was tangled and frizzed from zooming down the road with the wind in their hair.

Prompto bounced along the walkway. "Not long now. We just just hop on the boat and then it's happily ever after."

"Think there's probably got to be a few more steps in between.", Noctis replied.

"Details, details.", Ruby responded.

"Well, if it's Altissia you're travelling to, I'm afraid that is not a viable option." They were brought from their conversation to see a dark haired man with eccentric clothing approach them. The way he spoke had them on edge and Gladio instinctively placed himself between him and the three royals.

"So what if we were?", Yang asked defensively.

"Well, what with the ceasefire and a…" His eyes travelled to Noctis and the prince involuntarily shuddered. " _R_ _oyal wedding_ in the works, the Empire may not be so compliant with allowing any boat leave the docks." The group immediately stiffened at that statement and if then man noticed, he definitely didn't show it.

"Of course they wouldn't.", Prompto muttered.

"And what about you? What do you make of this?", Gladio asked, who was more than wary of the older man.

He spread his arms out and shrugged. "Me? Oh, nothing, really. I'm a just a man of no consequence."

The man then swiftly turned on his feet and began striding off the way that they came. The group watched him leave and as he passed Ruby, the two locked eyes for a moment and he shot her a smirk. For some reason, it caused her to stumble into Yang. "Okay, that guy was weird."

"You don't say.", Noctis replied.

"Well, what now? You think the port really is closed?", Prompto asked incredulously.

"It's not out of the question. Certainly worth looking into.", Ignis suggested.

Yang sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "Looks like the journey to happily ever after might have to be put on hold."

* * *

Weiss later woke up in a cell, with Luna by her side, on a Niflheim airship. She took a moment to regain her bearings and remembered what was going on. If what Luna told her was correct then the treaty signing would be in a matter of minutes.

"How could have we been so stupid?", she groaned. "We knew something was going on and look where that got us!"

Luna sighed. "We couldn't have know what the Empire was planning. We just need to get out of here so we can warn King Regis about…", she trailed off, shaking her head.

"What?", Weiss said. "That the Empire is only here for the Crystal? Let's be real Luna, the Empire's planning an attack, we were too stupid to see it and now Lucis is going to suffer as a result!"

Luna rose to her feet and went to stand Weiss up and put her hands on her shoulders. "We mustn't think like that! King Regis isn't ignorant, he'll know how handle what Emperor Aldercapt has to throw at him. Right now, our priority should be finding him and getting as far away from the Empire as possible."

Weiss nodded numbly. Now wasn't the time to think about what they could've done, now they had to focus on helping Regis before all of Lucis suffered. That potential reality terrified her.

* * *

Just when they thought things couldn't get more complicated, a reporter named Dino politely asked them to acquire some gemstones in exchange for a ride to Altissia unless they wanted the press to know that royals of Lucis were out and about in the area.

Actually, in hindsight, it may not have been that polite. Either way, they didn't have much of a choice. It wasn't too much of a difficult job as long as they didn't disturb the giant bird. Noctis quickly grabbed the stone from where it laid and as much as he wanted to get well away from that creature, they still had to get a reasonable distance from it before they could properly run away. As they slowly backed away, the sight of the large bird made Prompto breathe shakily, his eyes never leaving it. Yang put a supportive hand in his shoulder and that calmed his nerves slightly.

The group pretended that their hearts didn't burst out of their chests when the bird suddenly woke and took flight. With the gemstone given to Dino, their ferry tickets were secure but the boats wouldn't arrive until the morning.

"Woo!", Prompto exclaimed, throwing his arms into the air. "We can get some rest in a proper bed!"

Ruby sighed in content. "I hear that, we definitely need it."

Ignis rose an eyebrow. "Are you sure our funds can handle the costs?"

Noctis nudged his arm. "Come on, we're here, might as well rest up in a hotel room."

Whilst Ignis went to secure the hotel room, Noctis went to the spot on the pier that was said to be a great place for fishing. With the equipment purchased, he went to fishing.

Ruby peered over his shoulder. "Can I try Noct? Please.", she drawled out.

Noctis cast her a look. "No." When Ruby pouted, the prince didn't waver. "Remember what happened last time you had a try? It took me forever to find that rod!"

Prompto, who was taking photos of Noctis pulling a fish from the end of his line, sniggered. "No one asked you to jump in for it, Noct."

Yang sat down to let her legs dangle over the edge. "If anything, Ruby should've gone in."

Ruby gaped at her sister and then smirked. She hopped behind the blond. "What? Like this?" With two hands on her shoulders, she gave her older sister a push and with a yelp she fell into the water. Ruby put her hands over her mouth whilst Noctis and Prompto burst out laughing.

When Yang broke through the water's surface, she gave Ruby an unamused stare. "I'm so sorry, sis!", Ruby apologised frantically. "It was just a small shove, I didn't think you would actually fall in!"

Yang rolled her eyes. "No big deal.", she sighed holding her hand out for Ruby to take it. When the two grabbed hands, Yang gave her the same sly grin and pulled Ruby into the water as well. Based on the look on Noctis' and Prompto's face, the two of them were clearly enjoying this.

The two sisters began splashing water at each other, turning their faces to the side so that they could avoid the other's attacks.

Gladio and Ignis had approached the scene to let them know that they could set up in the hotel room only to see the two princesses messing around in the water. "Should we even ask?", Gladio said to the two still on the pier.

Prompto could still only laugh at the predicament and didn't notice that Ruby was now focusing her attacks on him. The blonde yelled out and jumped back as if the water burned. "Hey! Watch the camera!"

After drying off in the hotel room, Ruby and Yang went to join the guys at the restaurant by the entrance for something to eat. They went to hang out in the rooms and Prompto pulled out a pack of playing cards for a what he said would be a 'quick' game. They played for a straight half hour, joking as they did. Yang laughed along but whenever she played her go, her attention went back to her phone, a look of disappointment crossing her face after a few moments. The group caught onto this but none of them said anything.

Once it was fully dark outside, Noctis plopped down halfway over the bed without hesitation and Ruby could tell that he was properly asleep within minutes. She contemplated waking him up so that he could properly get onto the bed but she settled on lifting his legs onto the bed. The prince grumbled but didn't wake up. She then lied down beside him on the bed and curled up around her pillow.

Yang took a look at her two siblings. "And just like that, they're out like a light."

Gladio followed her gaze to the prince. "I swear he's turned sleeping into an art form."

"Well, who else would be able to do that?", Prompto asked in a jokingly serious tone.

"It's also known that he's capable of falling asleep in the most peculiar situations.", Ignis added.

The remaining four shared a slight laugh and Yang gave a long yawn and settled on lying down on the same bed as her siblings since Noctis was lying at the foot of the bed and Ruby curled up on the side, leaving enough room for her to lie down on the other side. Ignis and Prompto agreed on sharing the remaining bed and Gladio had agree on taking the nearby coach near the side of the room.

With the lights and everyone presumably fast asleep, Yang discreetly grabbed her phone from the bedside table. No messages from Regis or Cor. Despite thinking about what Ruby had told her the night before, Yang couldn't help but feel as though something was wrong.

* * *

Insomnia had fallen, there was no doubt about that. The majority of the Kingsglaive were either killed or had turned on the king for their own agenda, leaving only Nyx to return Weiss and Luna to the Citadel whist Regis and the Council fought against the Empire's forces.

The three of them burst into the signing room and it was as if they had walked into a nightmare. The entire Council had laid been slain, Clarus was pinned dead above their heads (Weiss couldn't comprehend it since he was living and breathing mere hours ago) and King Regis' fingers were severed off so that they could get the Ring of the Lucii, another sacred possession that the Empire was after.

For reasons that they couldn't understand, Ravus had slipped the ring on his own finger only for his arm to be set on fire and the two sisters could only watch in horror as their brother laid writhing in agony. Luna's eye travelled to Regis, who picked up the ring that rolled to his feet when it was thrown off of Ravus' finger.

Luna cried out as Glauca made a motion to take down the king and Nyx jumped into action, warping over to fend of the general whilst Luna went to help Regis. Weiss stumbled over to Ravus' shaking form. Despite everything that had happened, they were still family. She went to help him but he jerkily grabbed her wrist, eyes filled with venom. "Do not touch me."

Weiss was about to say something but seeing Regis double over in pain with Glauca trying to kill them was sobering sight for Weiss. She grabbed the axe of a fallen Magitek Trooper. It wasn't her rapier, but it would do.

Taking in a deep breath, she summoned her glyph in a flurry of magic and went flying towards Glauca whilst he and Nyx were fighting. Her tactic and gliding was messy and sloppy but the heat of the moment made her desperate and obviously didn't care about perfect technique. The axe didn't do much damage but Weiss couldn't help but admit that it felt good. Using her glyphs for speed, she and Nyx tried to take him down as Luna and Regis made their escape. A sudden shot of light hit Glauca and momentarily stunned him. The two of them turned to see Regis' hand glowing. "Hurry!", he called out.

Nyx grabbed Weiss' arm and began pulling her towards the two other royals. "Not a bad job, princess." Just as they were about to escape the chaos, Weiss took one last look at Ravus. Luna followed her gaze and the Oracle's eye locked with her brother. She could only whisper an apology as she used one arm to guide Regis and another to take Weiss' hand.

* * *

He knew. Regis knew what was going to happen. That was why Noctis, Ruby and Yang were sent away. Even though everything was a nightmare, Luna was grateful that they were at least safe. For how long, none of them knew.

Weiss and Nyx watched as Regis passed the ring to Luna. She hesitated slightly before cradling it in her hands as if it were the most precious jewel. It felt like a huge weight in her grasp but as part of her duty as Oracle, it was now her responsibility that Noctis received it.

Altissia was the rendezvous. That was good. There was a plan in mind.

Just as they were about to make for the exit, Regis stopped dead in his tracks, ripping his hand from Luna's. The air in the room felt suddenly heavy. Luna gasped when she realised what the king was doing and surged forward only for Regis to put up a force field. Weiss banged her fists against the wall. "Please! Don't do this!"

"I'm terribly sorry." His tone was regretful. "But I cannot let the two of you suffer again because of my own weakness. I made a promise to protect my own children, let me do the same for you."

Luna's hand slipped down the wall. "It wasn't your fault."

Regis' eyes took on a look of determination. "Nyx Ulric, make sure they are safe. Protect them. Please."

Said soldier gave a curt nod. "With my life."

"Good man." He gave the girls one last look before Glauca finally found them. "From now on, the two of are free." He swiftly turned around and summoned his own sword to fight Glauca.

Luna protectively wrapped her arms around Weiss and Nyx helped her guide the youngest away from the battle even though their gazes were still set on the courageous king.

She had to forcefully turn her head away when a weapon was run through Regis' back.

Weiss closed her eyes but all she could see was her mother being slaughtered by the same monster.

* * *

Weiss wanted nothing more than to drive that axe into Glauca's-Drauto's-face. He had killed Sylva, Regis, Clarus and numerous others. But Nyx seemed to have that covered since the Lucii were generous enough to lend him their power so that they could get out safely. Luna regarded him with worry at that new circumstance. The man entrusted the princesses with his childhood friend and fellow glaive Libertus and promised that he would stop Glauca.

Weiss wasn't sure what made her do it but she threw her arms around Nyx. Through everything he had made sure she and Luna got to this point alive. She wasn't sure how she could possibly repay him. "Thank you."

He chuckled, patting her back. "No need to thank me." He pulled away to look straight into her eyes. "Just get out safely. It's what he wanted."

The princess nodded and the two of them broke apart. Luna held the ring tightly in her hand. "You have our word."

Nyx looked to his friend. "Take care of them, Libertus." He smirked. "Or you'll have to answer to me."

Libertus nodded. "You got it."

They said their final goodbyes and Nyx went to take on the general. Luna and Weiss slipped into the car Libertus had and the glaive revved the engine. "You two ready?"

Luna looked back at Weiss and, seeing how unsettled the younger was, she breathed out. "As we'll ever be."

* * *

Glauca had found them again. Libertus left Luna in charge of driving whilst he dealt with the nuscience dangling from the side of the car but it was obvious that the Oracle was struggling to keep control.

Weiss clung to the back of the seats. "Do you even know how to drive?"

Luna kept her focus on the fiery road. "What do you think?"

The princess rolled her eyes. "Really, Luna? Sarcasm? Now?"

"Weiss.", she gritted her teeth. "Just keep your head down. Let me and Libertus handle this."

Weiss reluctantly complied with her sister. She knew that her anger wasn't directed towards her, but towards everything that had happened in a matter of hours.

* * *

The next morning, Ruby woke up to the sound of shuffling on the other side of the bed. Careful no to disturb Noctis and Yang, she sat up slowly to see Ignis out of bed, brushing himself down and fixing his hair. He locked eyes with Ruby and spoke in a low whisper. "I'm just heading out for a final stock of supplied before we leave today."

Ruby nodded and slipped out of bed. "Can I tag along?"

Ignis smiled. "Of course."

Once they completed their tasks, the two of them began making their way back to the hotel and Ruby took a long look at the horizon beyond the sea. "When do you think the boat's coming in."

"I would suspect it would be soon though I'm unsure how long it'll be before we actually reach Altissia.", Ignis replied. He could see Ruby nod out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sure it would be too long. We'll be there before you know it."

"I know.", Ruby said. "Still can't believe Noct is actually getting married, though."

"Is it that hard to believe?", Ignis asked.

"I don't know, I guess it's because it's happening under these circumstances. And it''s all happening so fast."

"Well, I hope he does remember his manners when he meets Lady Lunafreya. Wouldn't want her to be disappointed on their wedding day."

"Eh, I wouldn't worry about it. There are worse things that could scare her off.", she teased with a smirk.

"How do you think Noct feels about the marriage?"

Ruby stopped in her tracks in thought and then continued walking alongside Ignis. "Well, he's definitely surprised, I can tell you that much. Maybe a little nervous but also kind of excited. I mean, they haven't properly talked face-to-face for twelve years, so that's gonna be cool for them. So even if it is an arranged marriage, at least it's to someone he knows."

Ignis hummed in agreement. "As long as they're both happy with it, I have faith that the arrangement will turn out well."

On their way back, they passed Dino once again but only gave small 'hello'. "Surprised you're still here after what's happened."

What the reported said caught them off guard. Ignis and Ruby looked at each other in confusion. "After what's happened?", Ruby asked.

Dino gave a surprised look. "You don't know? It's all over the news!" He handed a newspaper to Ignis and it was only after reading it for a few seconds that the colour drained from his face.

"Iggy?", Ruby asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

The advisor looked at the princess with an unreadable expression and went to walk away. "We should meet up with the others."

"What? What happened?" Ruby struggled to keep with Ignis' fast pace and stepped around so that she was standing in front of it. "Just tell me!"

"We should wait until we're back with-" He had no time to react as Ruby grabbed the newspaper from behind his back and based on the look on her face, he was too late in taking it back from her. She stared down at the floor in shock. "Ruby?" The princess didn't react. He settled for putting a comforting hand on her shoulder that seemed to snap her out of her trance. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and confusion and Ignis couldn't help but feel the guilt crushing over him. "We should head back."

Ruby nodded numbly. "Yeah.", she choked out and let Ignis guide back to the room.

When they finally re-entered the hotel room, the rest of the group were waiting for them but Ruby couldn't look any of them in the eye.

Noctis' smile fell. "Hey, what's up?"

She looked to Ignis and gestured to the newspaper. He wordlessly handed it to Gladio. Ruby swallowed nervously. "Niflheim invaded Insomnia last night."

All of a sudden, the air grew cold. No one knew how to react to such a blunt statement.

Yang rushed over to her sister and grabbed her by the shoulders to look at her sternly. "Ruby, that isn't funny."

Ignis sighed. "I'm afraid she's telling the truth."

Noctis stormed over to them. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what she said."

"That can't be right!", Prompto insisted.

Gladio curtly cut off Prompto to read the column of the paper as of to confirm the harsh reality. "… once firings in the treaty room had ceased, many were found dead amongst the remains including…" He paused to read over the final few words several times. "… King Regis Lucis Caelum."

Yang grabbed the newspaper in disbelief. "No! That's wrong! It has to be!"

"I know it's hard to believe, but it's all over the news.", Ignis told them.

Prompto wrung his hands nervously. "So the Empire turned on us."

Noctis balled his hands. "They were never intending peace to begin with. It was all trick." He went to kick over a chair, yelling out in frustration. "Why didn't we see this coming?!"

Gladio put a restraining hand on his shoulder. "Knock it off! A stupid headline doesn't tell us much."

"So what, we go back home to find out more?", Yang asked.

Ignis shook his head. "That could possibly put us in the firing line."

Prompto stepped forward to back up Yang. "And it's any better if we stay?"

Throughout the whole exchange, Ruby stayed silent, still trying to come to terms with the news despite being one of the first to find out. Niflheim had invaded Insomnia. Their father was pronounced dead. What did that mean for everyone else in the Citadel? A selfish part of her didn't want to find out. But Yang and Prompto were right, they couldn't just leave it there.

They had to turn back.

"Your call, Noct.", her weak voice spoke.

All eyes in the room turned to the prince. He read all of their sorrowful, confused and thoughtful expressions, taking them all in individually. This was his call to make and as much as he was dreading to see what he didn't want to be true. "Alright. Let's turn back."

And so they did.

* * *

The boys immediately climbed back into the Regalia and Yang and Ruby hopped onto the the bike. At some point down the road, Yang road directly alongside them and Ruby could see that inside the car, Prompto was trying to make some form conversation but Noctis wasn't having any of it. During the journey back, Noctis, Prompto and Gladio were calling everyone they could but none of them got a response.

When they were forced to momentarily abandoned their rides due to a roadblock, they came across the Empire's Magitek Troopers and it seemed that an outlet for their anger was practically handed to them though a certain few were able to keep themselves in check more than others.

Noctis drove his sword through the soldier further than necessary and Gladio had to pull him out of the way to avoid another's shot as Prompto shot at them. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

The prince scoffed. "What's your deal? I'm just fighting!"

"Yeah, but it looks like your forgetting even the basic of tactics."

Noctis shook him off and was ready to jump back into action. "Okay, I get it, can we just get on with it?"

Ruby and Yang were shooting the Troopers from opposite sides, trying to distract and weaken them as best as they could so that the others could finish them off. Whenever one turned their attention to Ruby, she she swung her scythe to take it down and easily resumed rapidly firing shots, giving Ignis and Gladio the opening they needed to clear the small group.

Noctis noticed that Ruby's face was hardened with resolve despite her fighting more frantically than usual. He hated to admit it, but he could relate to where she was coming from. In comparison, however, Yang was still focused on tactfully fighting even though anyone could sense her underlying anger.

As they moved through an alleyway, Ignis yelled out a warning of a sniper on the distant ledge and Noctis immediately went to warp strike to it so they weren't as vulnerable to attacks. They narrowly avoided the swings of the Axemen though they were to susceptible to Ignis' daggers and they wasted no time in using their attacks to swiftly take them out.

With the enemies out of the way, the group stopped on the hill that overlooked Insomnia. They couldn't see much from such a long distance but the billowing smoke rising in different areas was enough of an indicator of what was going on.

Noctis growled, running his hands through his hair, unable to maintain his composure any longer. "What now?"

Prompto brought up the news on his phone which was in the middle of a broadcast. "-we now have confirmation that Prince Noctis, Princess Ruby and Princess Yang, Oracle Lady Lunafreya and Lady Weiss are also officially deceased."

The photographer held the phone in disgust. "What?!"

"They've confirmed that we're dead?", Yang asked in confusion.

Gladio crossed his arms and looked out over Insomnia. "Something big is definitely going on in there."

"How could Luna and Weiss be dead if they were on their way to Altissia?", Noctis asked furiously.

"Obviously something went wrong in that plan.", Ignis said.

Gladio was now on his phone presumably trying to call his family when fleet of airships flew above their heads and into Insomnia.

Ruby rapidly tapping at her phone, holding her breath. Her phone was on loud speaker as the dial tone went on loudly. "Pick up.", she whispered desperately. Her breath hitched when the call was answered. "Cor?"

She could hear the Marshal sigh on the other end of the line. "Thank goodness, you all okay?"

Noctis went over to Ruby. "Mind explaining what's going on?! Why is the news saying we're dead?!"

"And what about dad?!", Yang demanded.

"And Luna and Weiss?!", Ruby added.

Cor cut off their questions. "Calm down. We can talk once we meet up in-"

"Anything you've got to say, you can say it now.", Noctis growled.

Cor went silent and for moment the group thought that the line went dead. "Okay. What they've said about the king… they're right."

In that moment, all of their hearts stopped in their chests. They struggled to reply, to even form proper words. It had only been a couple days since Noctis, Ruby and Yang had said goodbye to their father, and now that exchange would've been their last. The truth had been so blunt and harsh that they didn't have time to properly process it.

"You still there?", Cor asked.

Noctis cleared his throat but that did nothing to rid himself of his grief. "Yeah."

"I'll see you in Hammerhead?"

"Yeah.", Yang responded quietly, looking down to the ground.

A quiet sob broke out of Ruby, "Uncle Cor. Are you… okay?"

"I'm fine.", Cor sighed.

"Good."

Cor's presence on the other end of the phone kept Ruby grounded; despite everything that had been sprung onto them, there was a small comfort in having Cor alive and well. "Hurry, guys."

Ruby nodded and hung up the phone, putting it back in her pocket.

With the conversation out on loudspeaker, the entire group overheard. None of them said a thing. In just the span of a few hours their sense of hope and security had been turned on its head and the pain was still so raw that none of them knew how to take control of the situation.

Noctis' face was unreadable and turned his gaze away from home. "We should head over to Cor." He didn't wait for anyone to respond before slowly making his way back into the car.

Gladio growled after several attempts to call his family. "Iris isn't picking up and if dad was the treaty room with the king then…" He cut himself off before he finished but everyone knew what he was implying.

Ignis spoke up. "We should head back, we shouldn't keep the Marshal waiting." The rest of the group nodded. Leave it to Ignis to make sure that everyone kept a level head. His own uncle worked in the Citadel and was also most likely caught in the crossfire. But if he didn't want to talk about it, the none of them would pry.

When Ruby climbed back onto the bike behind Yang, she tightly wrapped her arms around her sister's waist and hid her face in her shoulder to hide it from view. Noctis and Prompto were about to climb into the back seats when the prince saw the blonde staring at his own phone and biting his thumb.

"Should I try calling them?", Prompto finally asked him.

Noctis turned to face him. "Your parents?" Prompto nodded sadly. Noctis was torn: calling his parents and not getting a response would make him fear the worst but if there was a chance that they got out during the invasion then he would probably have to take it. "You choice, buddy. Whatever feels right to you."

Prompto stared at him for a long while before pressing the call button. He closed his eyes and prayed for a response. Noctis could faintly hear it go to voicemail. "Who was I kidding?"

Ignis sighed. "We just need to keep up our faith. We received no proper word from Cor that Lady Lunafreya and Lady Weiss were also…" He squeezed his eyes shut, clearly struggling with what he was about to say. "Confirmed dead."

"Well… how're we supposed to know if they're okay?", Noctis choked out. He had just lost his father and the group were quickly losing others close to them without any proper explanation or closure. In that moment he felt completely out of his element. How could he help his little sisters through their grief when he was barely handling his own?

"Come on… we have to look on the bright side." Ruby's voice was hollow.

"And what is that?", Noctis asked absentmindedly.

No one responded for the duration of the journey to Hammerhead.

* * *

It was over. They had made to the outskirts of Insomnia. With the journey they had ahead of them, the princesses couldn't risk putting Libertus in danger by having him travel with them. Not when he was already dealing with a healing injury.

"But what about the two of you?", he asked.

"We will be fine.", Luna promised, however Libertus didn't look convinced. "Please, return to Galahad, it'll much safer for you."

He gaped at them. "Are you sure? That you don't want any help, I mean."

Weiss shook her head. "You and Nyx risked your lives for us. We couldn't possibly ask for more."

Luna sighed. "And with what we're doing… we couldn't possibly put you in anymore danger when you could return to safety.

Libertus considered the princesses for a moment before nodding. "I understand. But if you and the king and the princesses need help, you'll know where to find me and Nyx."

Weiss smiled gratefully. "Thank you. We'll keep that in mind."

Luna gave a light dip of her chin. "Thank you for everything you've done, Libertus. If it weren't for you and Nyx…" She shook her head. "I don't know what would've happened."

"Hey, maybe one day you can give your thanks in person." Libertus shook his head. "I can't imagine what it's gonna be like for you out there."

Weiss crossed her arms. "Don't worry about us. We can take it from here."

"Then I have every bit of hope that the future is in safe hands. Safe travels, Your Highnesses."

"Goodbye, Libertus.", Luna said.

With a final nod, Luna and Weiss made their way to the kingdom's exit, with a promise to reach Altissia and find the friends they had waited so long to meet again. They were about to join the crowd of citizens escaping when Weiss stopped, looking out to the distance and went to hold Luna's hand out of instinct. The older princess felt a slight squeeze and looked over to see Weiss still staring out, as if unready for the trials ahead. She dropped the rusted axe to the ground as if it burned.

"Hey.", Luna squeezed back causing Weiss to look up at her. "Things will be okay. I promise."

Weiss breathed out. Based on everything that had happened, she found her sister's claim unlikely to be true. "I know. I trust you."

With their hands still intertwined, the two princesses walked on, ready to face anything the world had to throw at them.

* * *

 **Hoo boy this chapter was difficult to write but I did it! Not sure how it turned out but I wanted to get this out, hope you enjoyed it!**


	6. Chapter 5

**First of all, EPISODE IGNIS, GUYS!? WHO'S HYPED?!  
**

 **Second of all, Volume 5 is off to a FANTASTIC start, I just know this is gonna be a good one!**

 **Third of all, I've now got an AO3 account (under Astrid_Midnight), if anyone's interested.**

 **Finally, school related stuff is getting very busy so if updates are much later than usual, that's why.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to © Rooster Teeth and © Square Enix respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

"It was a ruse right from the start.", Cor said after the group had made camp. They had met up with the Marshal at the tomb of one of Noctis' ancestors and were informed of the harsh reality of what happened in Insomnia: the death of the king and the council, how Lady Lunafreya and Weiss were taken into the city as bait and how the majority of the Kingsglaive betrayed them. Though there wasn't confirmation of the princesses position, they still held onto hope that they were okay. There were still faint glimmers of hope, like how what remained of the Crownsguard were able to escort Iris out of the city. It was something like that made the group grateful that at least something not terrible came out of this.

With the prince now a king, it was Noctis' duty to gain the royal arms of those before him to take back the kingdom. It may have been one weapon, but it was just the start.

"No doubt for the Crystal." Ignis didn't need to say that like it was a question. He knew. Everyone knew.

Cor nodded in confirmation. "As much as he wanted peace, the king knew that the Empire wouldn't simply offer surrender out of nowhere. So he acted accordingly."

"And no one said anything? Not even to their _own kids._ ", Gladio grunted.

"If he had, what would've you done?", Cor asked, looking straight at the Shield.

Ruby threw up her arms. "Something, anything! We could've helped dad, Clarus, all of them!"

Now Cor's gaze was on her. The Marshal had always looked so serious but now he took on a grave expression. "And what if something had happened to all of you?" He looked amongst the group. "Do you think any of your families would've allowed that?" He sighed. "None of them could've risked putting you in danger, so the king did what he thought needed to do."

What he needed to do? Although he rarely said it out loud, Regis had always made it clear to them that everything he did was for his children. But now Ruby couldn't help but the feel the guilt of all those lives lost because he put them first.

"What about Lady Lady Lunafreya and Weiss? Was there any news about them?", Prompto asked anxiously.

Cor shook his head in disappointment. "I'm afraid not. They were in Imperial custody when they were in the city but once firings broke out in the treaty room, we lost track of them. For all we know, they could be anywhere by now."

The gunner nodded solemnly. With everything that had happened, the group couldn't help but feel the dread of not knowing what happened to the princesses. All they could do for now is hold onto hope that they were okay.

Ruby turned to face the caravan. "Are Noct and Yang still in there?"

Gladio followed her gaze and sighed. "Yeah, guess they're still trying to process all of this."

"It seems that we all are.", Ignis added.

"I'll give you all tonight.", Cor said. "To let you come to terms with everything, then tomorrow we'll start planning our next move."

The group nodded in unison. Ruby looked down at the campfire they were sitting around and then quietly excused herself to enter the caravan. When she closed the door, she could hear Noctis and Yang cut off a conversation they were having, eyes cutting over to their youngest sibling.

The two of them were sitting on the bottom of the bunk bed. On one end, Yang was sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest and Noctis was sitting with his elbows on his knees, holding the Sword of the Wise in both hands.

Yang mustered a smile. A forced one at that. "Hey, Ruby." Her voice was strained. "You okay?"

Ruby shrugged. "As good as I could be." She sat down between her siblings, pulling her feet up onto the bed. "What about you guys?"

"Same, I guess.", Yang replied. "Everything just seems to… real. It's hard to accept."

Noctis gave a dry chuckle. "You can say that again. Still can't believe that dad is…" His voice caught in his throat and stopped himself from finishing his sentence. Noctis always knew that he would have to take on the role of king someday but he didn't feel ready. He wasn't ready to do this without his father. Deep inside his heart, there was a bitterness towards the whole situation: not only was he left with the duty to protect the kingdom, he was now left with the duty of taking care of his younger sisters. They weren't weak, far from it, but he couldn't help but feel the responsibility of needing to protect them.

They had already lost their father, they couldn't afford to lose each other.

He dismissed the royal arms into the armiger and threw his arms around his sisters. The weight was now falling down on them and it was becoming too much for them to handle. If they didn't have each other, they probably would've broke under the pressure.

 _One night._ , Ruby thought. _One night to get it all out._

"Whatever happens, we won't ever abandon each other, right?"

Yang hugged them tighter. "Not on my watch."

"Anyone even dares to hurt any of you-", Noctis said determinedly."-they'll have to go through me."

Ruby nodded. "So here's what we're going to do: we're taking the fight to the Empire, and make all of them pay."

Noctis nodded. "You got that right."

"And we'll get through this." Yang retracted an arm and placed a hand on the bed together. "Together."

The other two siblings smirked and each put a hand on top of Yang's. "Together.", Ruby replied.

The king sucked in a breath. "Together."

* * *

Weiss sighed as she threw her bag onto the ground. The night was approaching fast and the nearby haven was the only thing that offered protection from the daemons.

After escaping Insomnia, many of the citizens caught sight of the two princesses and small groups in trucks offered them a lift but they couldn't afford to derail anyone else's plans and possibly draw attention to themselves so they politely declined. However, most of them insisted on at least taking some of their money to support themselves. Even in the midst of all the chaos, people were still willing to give a part of what little they had. It was enough to buy themselves the basic necessities of food and protection when staying outdoors.

Once they had set off, they met up with Gentiana, who was more than pleased that they were safe though dismayed by what had previously transpired in the city. She wordlessly handed Luna her Trident and Weiss her rapier and the two princesses were confident in their efforts to avoid the Empire as best as they could.

They had travelled on foot for several hours straight and coming across the haven was the perfect opportunity to make camp for the night. Weiss chuckled. Was this what it was like for the others? Probably, but with less running from the Empire. She looked over to Luna, who had just finished making a fire and began to warm herself up. Weiss walked over to her, pulling the blanket out of her bag.

"So.", she started. "How long until we reach the Disc of Cauthess?"

Luna sighed. "Perhaps a couple more days, or so, depending on how often we stop."

Weiss rolled her eyes. "Which would probably be a lot."

"Weiss…"

"Oh, come on, Luna! It's not like we thought any of this through."

"Of course we did-"

"Yeah, so we'll reach Titan near Lestallum, Ramuh in Duscae and so on. But we never figured out the in between stuff of it. It's not going to be that simple."

"Well, it's not like we had a lot of time to plan this. Nor did we know the circumstances that it would happen." Luna had a point; with the fall of Insomnia and the Ring of Lucii forced into the Oracle's care, they had no way of telling that the journey they would undertake would happen so soon.

"Fine, I just hope this doesn't end up like the blind leading the blind. You're the Oracle and I'm just… me. There's only so much I can do." Weiss wrung her hands nervously. She definitely felt out of her element at this point.

Luna sighed, giving Weiss a sympathetic look. "Look, if I could've had my way, I would've made sure that you weren't caught in the middle of all of this."

Weiss nodded in understanding, trying to a muster a smile. "Hey, you couldn't get rid of me if you tried."

"I guess I can't argue with that.", Luna smirked.

The white haired girl pulled her legs up to her chest. "How do you think the others are?", she asked quietly.

Luna's gaze shot towards her. Their most recent message from Umbra and Zwei suggested that they hadn't found out about the invasion at the time but figured that they would probably know by now. They could only pray that they were safe. "I have faith that they're fine."

"Do you think they'll head for Altissia as well?"

She froze. Given that Noctis and the others would not have known what she and Weiss were currently doing, there would be no reason to assume they would be heading for Altissia at some point. She would have to send them a message telling them what they were up to.

 _Though not the full details._ , Luna thought.

"We'll have to let them know.", she simply replied.

Weiss nodded. "Everything?"

Luna stared and then shook her head. "No. Not yet."

Her sister groaned. "They have to know at some point, Luna."

"But not now. This… this is not something to be told through a letter."

"And yet you practically want to avoid them.", she stated bluntly. "It's almost as if you want to avoid telling them about it."

"Well, wouldn't you, Weiss? It's not easy to think about let alone talk about-", she choked up, avoiding Weiss' gaze.

"About what?", she asked. "The fact that you're going to _die._ " Luna gasped and covered her mouth, eyes filling with tears. Realising what she had just done, Weiss waved her hands out frantically. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say it like that!"

Luna gave a humourless laugh. "It's fine.", she bit out. "It's hard not to say it like that." Before Weiss could say anything else, Luna stood up and strode to the other side of the fire, laying down on the ground with her blanket.

"Okay.", Weiss breathed out. "Goodnight then." She heard the other princess hum in response. "Love you."

After a moment, Luna replied, her voice cracking. "Love you too."

Weiss turned her back to her sister and figured that it was for the best. Neither of them liked to see the other upset. She mentally slapped herself. She promised to support and trust her sister no matter what, but here she was, throwing accusations at her. She wanted nothing more than to let her sister carry out her duty if that was what she really wanted to do.

But she couldn't. Because that duty would cost Luna her life.

Her _life._

* * *

 _Firings broke out loose in the treaty room. Regis had yelled for Ruby to run, but the princess couldn't bring herself to. Beginning to run towards her father, she could see that it was now the king and her in the room, the looming threats shrouded in darkness_

 _Grabbing onto her necklace, Ruby transformed into a bundle of petals to zoom to her father's protection. With no more time to waste, she took the risk of shielding Regis with her body even if that mean her getting caught in the middle of the crossfire._

 _However, Ruby's blood ran cold as the bullets and blades flew towards her, through her, and hit Regis square in the chest. Her scream was forceful enough to shatter windows. She dropped to her knees, like a puppet with its strings cut, to her father's side, trying and failing to tend to his wounds. Even as she covered his body with hers, the weapons still travelled through Ruby like a ghost, still mutilating the king's wounded body._

 _Her heart shattered as she saw the light dim from Regis' eyes. "Dad! Please! Don't leave us! You_ can't _leave us."_

 _The king's gaze travelled to his daughter's and there was only a slight recognition. His hand was raised to cup her face ever so lightly. "R-by… run…" He coughed up blood that looked too real for her liking. His hand dropped back to the ground with a thud and Ruby's heart broke all over again. Regis had sacrificed everything in order to keep his children safe and now it had gotten him killed. She shut eyes tightly and clasped her hands over her ears as she screamed over the sound of metal clashing together._

 _The will to fight had left her and just let the weapons hit her ghostly body. When she finally opened her eyes was when the sound of war had ceased. Only complete sorrow and darkness._

 _And staring directly at the young girl were a strange pair of glowing eyes and a faint twisted smile._

* * *

Cor woke up to the sound of screaming from beside him. Whilst the guys were staying in the caravan, Cor had agreed to staying in the tent with the girls. He immediately became alert of the noise, almost going for his katana. He sat up to see Ruby on the other side of the tent, writhing around in her sleep. Immediately, crossing over to her, he began to gently shake her awake.

"Ruby, hey." If the girl heard him, there were no signs. "Hey, Ruby, wake up." Her whimpers broke something in Cor. "Wake up! It's just a dream, it's not real! It can't hurt you, I promise!", his voice soothed.

The princess shrieked again, shooting upright in bed, arms flailing out. Cor swiftly caught her by the wrists, causing her to immediately cease her struggles. Her eyes travelled to the other side of the tent, where Yang was watching the exchange, allowing Cor to comfort her during her nightmares. "It was just a dream, kid.", Cor asserted. "You're safe."

Ruby sobbed. "B-but dad… he.…" She covered her face with her hands, tears streaming down her face.

Cor wordlessly brought Ruby into his arms and she buried her face into his chest. Yang crawled over to them and embraced her from behind, softly stroking her hair, silently weeping herself.

"It's okay.", Cor promised. "It'll be okay."

The statement caused Ruby to cry harder and Yang began humming a soft lullaby, one that Regis sang to them whenever any of them were scared as young children. It seemed to quieten her cries to sniffles. Ruby gave Cor a thankful hug and allowed Yang to settle her back onto her makeshift bed. The big sister didn't leave her side and Cor laid down beside them, putting a comforting hand on each of their shoulders.

Exhausted as they were, the two princesses were back to sleep within minutes. However, Cor was still wide awake. Seeing Ruby break down reminded the Marshal of how young she was. How young all of them were. It seemed like an eternity had passed since he found the girls, lost and alone. Those years where he helped care for them seemed to fly past, how the times when they called him 'uncle' warmed his heart every time.

Even though Noctis was now the king, it was just as much Ruby and Yang's responsibility to assist him in taking back the kingdom and the Crystal.

But… they were still practically children, it wasn't fair for the world to force this responsibility onto them so soon. He had said they had one night to come to terms with everything, but maybe for some that wasn't enough for everyone.

With everything they held dear being ripped away from them, Cor felt it was his responsibility to care for them as much as everyone else. Lying down next to the girls, his looked up at the roof of the tent, the past week's events playing out in his mind until, finally, he closed his eyes to sleep.

 _I promise, Your Majesty, I will do everything in my power to keep them safe._

* * *

"-we now have confirmation that Prince Noctis, Princess Ruby and Princess Yang, Oracle Lady Lunafreya and Lady Weiss are also officially deceased."

Aranea Highwind scoffed as she walked down the halls of the Empire. Ever since the fall of Insomnia, many citizens of the Crown City had held onto hope that the Lucian royalty was still alive and the Empire was more than glad to snuff that out. They were so easy to convince: simply confirm there's a dead body and just like that, the people will believe what's thrown at them. Or at least some of them. However, the prince and the princesses were very much alive and scurrying around somewhere and it would only be a matter of time before the public would find out.

Hopefully, that would be where she came in.

She stopped outside one of the training rooms when she heard grunting and some kind of weapon clashing on metal. Curiosity getting the better of her, she entered the room to see a young girl fighting off a horde of what seemed to be malfunctioning Magitek Troopers. Aranea rolled her eyes when she realised who it was.

Blake Besithia.

The girl seemed to be skilled at fighting, she would give her that but it was almost pitiful when one took the fact that she never put those abilities to use out in an actual battle into consideration. There was also that bow on her head that she always refused to take off and Aranea couldn't fathom why (though that was more of a personal thought).

The black haired girl also seemed to possess the unique ability to create decoys of herself to fool enemies in battle. As a Trooper wielding an axe was about to hit her, the image of Blake dispelled and she instead came from behind it to take it down.

Seriously, this girl's skills were _wasted_ inside of a training room.

Blake swung her weapon into the air, where a long ribbon extended from the sheath and wrapped itself around a supportive beam, allowing her to swing through the air, knocking down the robot soldiers as she did so. She ended her endeavour by detaching the ribbon and flew into a soldier, foot on its chest pinning it to the ground. Aranea rolled her eyes as she buried her weapon into its chest and didn't notice the final Trooper coming from behind her.

Taking out her lance, she zoomed into the room, tackling the Trooper to the ground, weapon buried deep into so hard that it dug into the floor. Blake turned around to see what the older woman did and scowled. "I could've done that."

Aranea hummed. "Yeah, right." She gestured to the room. "What're you even doing here, kid?"

She groaned. "Verstael had problems with the Magitek Troopers that were taken out during the invasion. Wanted me to test some out so he can figure out exactly what."

Aranea rose an eyebrow. "Isn't that kinda pointless? They got the job done."

"Not a big deal. At least I'm getting out some of his other stupid experiments."

She chuckled. "What? Bored of being his lab rat?"

Blake sheathed her weapon, not breaking eye contact with her. "Lab assistant.", she bit back through gritted teeth.

Aranea pouted and held her hands up in mock surrender. "Anyways, would've thought you'd be more interested in the invasion."

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "Why should I? It's not like it's going to change anything for me."

Aranea brushed a strand of silver-blond hair from her face. She had rarely seen Blake outside of Besithia's laboratory except for the training facilities. And she was sure that the girl had _never_ left the building. She shrugged. "Well, who knows? Maybe you will get a chance at some point."

Blake rose an eyebrow, an incredulous expression on her face. "What makes you say that?"

The older woman smirked. "There's a hunt for the prince and the Oracle and their precious siblings. Turns out a select few are gonna head out to find them." She shifted her weight onto one foot. "I'm going for the prince and apparently Ravus, being the new commander of the army, insisted on looking for the Oracle and her sister himself."

"Last time I checked, his arm was burned off." She scoffed. "If he's that interested, it's obviously because they're related. Did they even consider that?"

"When _does_ the Empire consider things?"

Blake gave a guarded smile but then shook her head. "And yet they gave the task of the royal hunt to you. Because trusting a mercenary with… questionable loyalties was such a good idea in the first place." The girl considered the older woman as she looked her over.

Aranea chuckled darkly and came closer to Blake so that she was towering over her. "Have you got a problem with me?"

Blake crossed her arms. If she was fazed by Aranea's intimidation tactics, she definitely wasn't showing it. "I just want to know if the Empire's made the right choice in hiring you as part of their ranks."

There was a quiet flame behind Aranea's eyes. She one more step towards Blake, causing the younger girl to have to crane her head to look directly at her. "Listen, I don't know what's gotten in your head to make you think you can question my authority. I may be a mercenary but I'm still higher rank than a scientist's _pet_." She saw Blake flinch slightly but didn't miss a beat. "Let's get this straight: I'll do my own thing and you can do-" She mockingly gestured to the room. "-whatever it is you think you're doing. Clear?"

Blake opened her mouth to respond when she saw the Trooper that Aranea took down sputter back to life for a moment, trying to get back to its feet to attack but failing miserably. She gave a laugh just as dark as Aranea's. She unsheathed her weapon and fiercely pierced the soldier, causing it to die out for good.

She never broke eye contact. "Crystal."

* * *

Luna woke to the sound of rustling beside the campfire. She saw Weiss stomping out the remains of the smouldering campfire and then went to taking stock of the supplies they had. The two sisters locked eyes but neither said a thing. The drying tear tracks on both of their faces said it all. Luna took off her blanket and placed it back into her own bag, standing up as she did so. Weiss avoided eye contact with her.

"We've, uh, got a lot of ground to cover today. It's only a matter of time before the Empire catches up with us.", she said plainly.

Luna considered her for a moment before nodding. "Of course. Hopefully we can reach Lestallum soon."

"Yeah."

Thinning her lips into a line, Luna went to stand by Weiss. "To Titan?"

Weiss squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, as if in pain, but the looked back at Luna as if the previous exchange didn't happen. "To Titan."

* * *

A slam of the caravan door startled Noctis awake. As much as he wanted to stay in bed and never come out, the king knew that drawn out sleep ins were not something that he could afford to do. Groaning, he sat up in the bed to see Prompto doing the same.

"Morning.", the blond said.

Noctis nodded in response. "Where're the others?"

Prompto gestured out the window. "Gladio's already outside sorting out breakfast with Ignis." He bit his lip as if contemplating something. "Apparently Ruby had a rough time sleeping last night."

Now _that_ fully woke Noctis up. He definitely wasn't expecting his sisters to be completely coping with what had happened but he felt bad that it was already affecting Ruby on such a level. For a big brother, he was doing a terrible job at looking after his sisters. "O-oh… is she okay?"

Prompto shrugged and the king took that as cue to go talk to her. He exited the caravan to see the rest of the group sat in their chairs eating a quick breakfast. Quietly picking up his chair and approaching his sisters, he could see Yang subtly put a comforting on Ruby's arm, giving her a supportive smile. Noctis took a deep breath and placed his chair next to Ruby's and picked up his own breakfast. They ate in silence for a short while before Noctis spoke up.

"Hey, are- are you okay?" He mentally slapped himself, of course they weren't.

However, Ruby didn't seem bothered by his question though her voice lacked its usual enthusiasm. "Uh, yeah. At least… we will be." She gave Noctis a smile if her response didn't convince him. Noctis wrapped an arm around her shoulder and gently pulled her in to kiss the top of her head. "I'll fix this.", he promised his sisters. "I swear it."

Yang smiled. "We know. And we'll help you." Ruby nodded in response.

Noctis sighed in content and turned to face the rest of the group. "So what's next?"

"There's another royal tomb some ways from here.", Cor informed. "It would do you good to the next royal arm now."

"Certainly.", Ignis agreed.

"And there's thirteen of these weapons?", Prompto asked.

Cor nodded. "Yes, though they are to be found around Eos."

Ruby stared at Cor and then to Noctis. "They're all over Eos? Honestly, Noct, I think your ancestors wanted to mess with us on purpose."

Yang shrugged. "There must've a hundred better places to put them."

"Nonetheless, it's important we round them up.", Gladio said.

"Exactly.", Cor responded. "So we better head out as soon as possible."

Noctis sighed. "Okay. Let's do this."

* * *

Outside of the tomb were a group of MTs and Imperial soldiers that were crucial to be taken out. Noctis and Ruby went on the attack from two sides, Noctis with his warping and Ruby with her speed. Once the attack began, the rest of the group joined into the fray, with Yang putting her strength into her punches whenever she left the shooting to Prompto.

Cor 'The Immortal' Leonis was not only head of the Crownsguard, but also one of the most well known fighters due to his achievements in his youth, though it wasn't something he liked to talk about. Ruby couldn't understand why. With his techniques weakening their enemies, she managed to snap out of her awe to assist him in finally taking them down.

With the entrance of the tomb secured, Cor smirked. "Not bad, Ruby. You've definitely improved."

Ruby struggled to catch her breath. "Thanks. I wasn't sure. Good to know my training's effective."

Gladio rolled his eyes. "Wish Noct had that sort of enthusiasm during his training."

"Hey.", Noct replied defensively. "I got the job done, didn't I?"

"Well.", Yang said crossing her arms. "It's obvious now that the fighting has to be taken… a little more seriously."

The entire 'taking back the kingdom' ordeal was still a fresh wound to the group and they couldn't take too much time to realise that they would have to take their fighting much more seriously than before.

A small grunt was heard within the group and their attention turned to Prompto, who was clutching his right arm with the other. Blood was trickling down from where they assumed one of the axemen had got him. "Wish I'd though of thought of that sooner." He tried to laugh it off but couldn't help but gasp in pain.

Cor eyed him with worry. "You okay? Need a curative?"

Prompto shook his head frantically. "No! It's okay, don't need to waste them on me. What if we run low?"

"Hey, we can always get more.", Ruby responded as if it was the most obvious solution.

Noctis rolled his eyes and pulled out a curative, putting it into his friend's hand. "Don't be stupid, man Can't have you dying on us."

He sighed as the magic did its work healing his injuries. He smiled weakly. "Thanks."

Cor shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's just as important to care for yourself as well as others in battle."

Prompto nodded in understanding. "Yes, sir, of course."

With that dealt with, the group headed into the tomb for Noctis to claim the next royal arm.

* * *

"So… does it hurt?", Yang asked as they exited the tomb.

Noctis rubbed the area of his chest where the Axe of the Conquerer had momentarily pierced him before being added to his arsenal of ancestral weapons. "Only for a bit, but then the pain goes just as fast as it comes."

Ruby placed her own hand over her chest, remembering her nightmare. "I can't imagine having a weapon run through my chest."

He shrugged. "Just be grateful only one of us has to do it."

"Still.", Ruby replied. "It's not fair that you need to go through it alone."

He scoffed. "I'm not alone. I've got you guys."

"Yang wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "And you don't have to worry about taking it on all by yourself. We'll be there to help you if you're in a scuffle."

"Which probably means we'll be helping a lot.", Ruby joked.

"Ha. Ha.", Noctis said with a smirk.

* * *

The next morning, Cor informed the group of bases that the Empire were building which would make it hard for them to travel 'under the radar' as they liked to put it. So a slight detour had to be made to take it down. What Cor failed to mention, however, was that he wanted one of them to stay behind at Cid's.

"You want me to what?!"

Cor wasn't surprised by Ruby's reaction. "I know it sounds unreasonable but it's only to keep you safe."

"But you said that I was doing good! And what about Yang? She's not that much older than me so why can she go?"

Cor sighed. "Because I feel that she's got herself together."

"Excuse me?"

"It took me a while to remember that you're still a child, Ruby. And you're still struggling to come to terms with everything. Until then, I can't afford you getting involve with something as dangerous as this."

"So, what? I'm just gonna be babysat from now on?"

"It's not forever. It's just until I'm sure that you're ready for this big of a responsibility."

"But I am ready!"

He rose an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"

"I-I- W-well…"

She felt Cor place a hand on her shoulder. "I'm not doing this to baby you. I'm doing this because I don't want you to compromise your safety when you're not prepared to face danger with a clear mind."

She wiped her nose with her sleeve. "Okay. I'll think about it, while you're gone."

Cor smiled and squeezed her shoulder. "Good. Because the last thing I want is for you to get hurt."

"And I won't.", she replied determinedly. "They won't bring me down so easily."

The smirk Cor gave was encouraging. "That's what I like to hear."

* * *

Just because she agreed with the situation, it didn't mean that Ruby was entirely happy about the 'babysitting' ordeal. She huffed and crossed her arms as she sat near the outside of Cid's garage, bored out of her mind. A part of her actual wished that she was facing certain doom if it meant actually doing something.

She was startled by the sound of her phone ringing which struck her as odd. Communications were on the blink since the invasion so she figured not many calls would be coming in. When she saw the caller ID, however, made her breath stop momentarily. **_Iris Amicitia._**

She frantically punched the answer button. "Iris?!"

A gasp was heard on the other end of the line. "Ruby! Finally someone picked up!"

"What do you mean?", she asked, confused.

"I've been trying to call all of you guys ever since I left the city but I haven't been able to get through."

Ruby sighed. "Just glad you're okay."

Iris giggled. "Likewise. So where're the others?"

The princess rolled her eyes and huffed dramatically. "Oh, you know, just off on a daring mission and didn't let me tag along. Just the usual."

"Huh.", Iris replied. "Sounds… fun."

"Exactly. Why do you think I'm upset about it?"

"Only you would throw a fit about not being thrown into danger."

Ruby shrugged. "What can I say?"

A silence stretched out between the two of them and Ruby almost thought that the line was dead. "Iris? What's wrong?"

She clearly sounded like she was struggling to find the words to explain what she wanted to say. "I was going to tell you, but I wasn't sure if we should wait until everyone was around but given what it is that I want to say…", she trailed off.

That got Ruby's attention. "Well, now you have to tell me.", she demanded.

Iris sighed heavily. "Okay. It happened this morning, in Lestallum."

* * *

The morning after arriving in the city, Iris had volunteered to go out and buy her, Jared, the family's butler and Talcott, his grandson, some supplies outside of the Leville they were staying in. Jared was reluctant to let her out alone but the teenager insisted that she would be okay. The place itself was different to what she was used to back in Insomnia but that made it even more interesting to her.

Rounding the corner back to the Leville, bag of groceries in arm, she was caught off guard by a flash of white and grey and suddenly being knocked to the ground.

"Oh! I-I am so sorry!", Iris exclaimed, picking up her bag.

The person she bumped into, face covered by a veil of white hair, shook her head, picking up her own bag. "No, no, it was my fault. I should've seen where I was going."

Iris went to stand up when she saw the girl's face through the messy, disheveled hair. It was a face that she saw on the news many times before, even more so since the invasion. "Lady Weiss?", she asked uncertainly.

The recognition in her bewildered blue eyes was enough to confirm Iris' suspicions. The supposed dead princess was kneeling right in front of her. She was about to say something else when the princess frantically stood up, pulling her grey jacket hood over her head. "I-I have to go."

And just like that, she fled the scene, losing herself in the sea of people in the streets. Iris' mouth hung open from when she was readying herself to speak, now in shock.

Lady Weiss was _alive._

* * *

Ruby sat in shook as she held her phone. "Ruby? You there?"

"Y-yeah, I'm here.", she stuttered out. Even though they all suspected the news of Luna and Weiss' deaths in Insomnia, it was comforting to finally hear confirmation about them.

"Do you think if Lady Weiss is alive, do you think Lady Lunafreya could be with her?"

Ruby immediately went to respond. "She has to be! They must've been together during the invasion. If Weiss is okay, Luna must be too!" She was desperate for another glimmer of hope after everything that had happened. "Did you see where she was going?"

"Sorry, but no. It was only a few seconds before the crowd cleared but she was nowhere in sight."

 _Of course._ "Still, she's fine. I'll tell the guys once they're back and we'll start heading to meet up with you."

"Thanks, can't wait to see you guys."

She smiled faintly. "You too."

"And Ruby?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm really glad you're okay."

"You too. I'll talk to you later."

"Sure thing. Bye!"

"Bye." As Ruby hung up the call, a warm feeling in her chest began to stir. Everything had been crumbling around her, being too much for the young girl, but that phone call made her believe that things could maybe, just maybe, turn out okay.

It was unrealistic wish at this point, but it was what she needed.

* * *

 **Huge thanks to everyone reading, following, favouriting and reviewing this!**

 **See you guys next time!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Hey, not much to say about this chapter but I (again) want to thank all of you reading this, really means a lot that you're enjoying it!**

 **To the guest reviewer (Kritical K) from last chapter: it didn't take too long for the group to get the axe because I didn't want the action/fighting to drag on for too long and for Ruby, you'll see here! (Edit: i.e. skipped the action, because I** didn't want to write the whole thing **and wanted to get to the dialogue/plot, sorry)**

 **Also, I recommend, if you haven't already, having a listen to Natewantstobattle's FFXV song, it's awesome and (probably) inspired part of the title for this story!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to © Rooster Teeth and © Square Enix respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

Ruby spent the next hour or so doing as much research as she could on Luna and Weiss' whereabouts. It was a long shot, but if the two of them had already travelled from Insomnia to Lestallum, then surely other people must've seen them. Looking up the news on every possible app and website on her phone, Ruby struggled to find any solid to confirm their presence. Most of them were either zoomed in or grainy photos and, upon close inspection, she couldn't confirm that it was them.

That didn't stop her from checking every few minutes. Iris seemed sure that it was Weiss that she saw and Ruby believed her. If they were pronounced dead by the Empire, it was understandable that they would want to keep a low profile for as long as they could so that they could avoid the Empire's forces. Their group was dealing with the same ordeal but, with a world as large as Eos, and many of the territories being owned by Niflheim, it was only a matter of time before they got caught by the public's eyes.

For a moment, she though that throwing herself into this research was a way of distracting herself from what Cor told her to do with this time: get her head on straight and come to terms with everything that's was going on.

None of the others had gotten over what had happened, the complete opposite, for that matter, but they seemed to be handling it better than she was. Too many things were racing through her mind over the last couple of days and maybe Cor was right in having her take time to organise her thoughts. However, she could also sense that it was his protective nature showing but she couldn't fault him for that. He had know her and Yang since they were little, he helped looked after them whenever he could and they always looked up to him.

She knew that, with everything that was going on, they all had to pull themselves together but that didn't fix the underlying grief festering beneath. King Regis, her father, the man who worked tirelessly and endlessly to protect the kingdom, threw everything away, including his own life, to save his children.

He gave up everything and even though Ruby understood why, at the same time _she didn't_. One would call him selfish for sacrificing thousands just to save three people. Others would call him brave, noble even.

For a fleeting moment, Ruby thought of a different word: foolish. What gave him the right to let others die while they lived on? What right did _she_ have to have survived and not someone else? What about the defenceless families who could've escaped?

Ruby shoved the thoughts down as quickly as they came. Regis had saved their lobes and here she was, wishing that he had done something different. How ungrateful could she be? Yes, everything was now a nightmare, but she couldn't spend all of her time moping around, doing nothing of value.

She couldn't waste her second chance.

She couldn't let her father's sacrifice be for nothing.

"Ya know-" Cindy's voice from behind her made Ruby jump. "-if ya stare that phone any longer, pretty it's gonna blow it up."

Ruby frowned but then realised that she had been staring intently at her phone during her (somewhat) epiphany. She laughed in embarrassment. "Right, sorry."

The mechanic waved her off flippantly. "I'm just kidding ya." She sat down opposite Ruby at the table she was sitting at. "Missin' the guys?"

She sucked in breath between her teeth. "Yeah, hope they're okay."

"I'm sure they're fine.", Cindy replied reassuringly, her tone sympathetic.

Ruby smiled. She knew what she was trying to do. "Yeah, I know they can handle themselves."

Cindy nodded, fidgeting slightly in her seat. She was obviously wanting to say something. "Hey, uh, listen… I'm real sorry about your dad." She looked up at Ruby shyly and the princess shifted in her seat self-consciously. "Paw-paw always talked about what a good man he was."

 _Was._ That made the reality more real than it already was.

She smiled solemnly. "Yeah, he was. A great dad, too."

The mechanic smiled back. "I bet he was." She paused for a moment. "Listen, no kid deserves to go through stuff. I know how much it sucks."

Ruby looked up to meet her eyes. "Really?"

Cindy nodded. She folded her hands in her lap, closing her eyes for a moment. "I, uh, lost my parents when I was a kid, too."

If Ruby wasn't at a loss of words before, she was now. She didn't know much about Cindy personally so it was shocking for her to share such intimate details. "Oh, uh… I, um, I'm so sorry."

Cindy gave a light shake of her head. "It's okay. It was a long time ago, anyways." She quickly wiped her eyes before a glimmer of tears spilled out. "It's not really somethin' you can ever forget, but you jus' gotta remember all the happy memories of those you lost."

Ruby sniffled and nodded. "I know."

She jumped slightly when she felt Cindy reach over to grab her shoulder. "Listen, I don't know for sure what your father was like, but I do know for a fact that whatever he did, he did it for you and your brother and sister. And he wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over it or to let your grief get the better of you."

"So… what do you do instead?", Ruby asked nervously.

Cindy smiled encouragingly. "You keep on fighting. Live your life happily and to the fullest, that's what any parent would want for their kid."

She nodded in understanding. Cindy was right. Everything Regis had done it was for her, Yang and Noctis. Growing up, they had accepted the fact that there would've been many times when their father would have to deal with royal duties before dealing with them. And they understood that, as a ruler, he had to put the lives of numerous subjects before his children. But he was always there when they needed him; whenever they were sick, troubled or kept awake by a nightmare, Regis would drop everything to make sure that they were okay.

When he had sent them away to avoid the invasion of Insomnia, all of three of them knew that it wasn't a tactical move, saving the future heirs from slaughter so that the royal line could continue.

Absolutely not. It was a father desperately trying to protect his children, a father literally giving up everything in order to give them a future.

"And know this.", Cindy continued. "Know that your dad is with you guys. Even though it may not feel like it, as long as you keep his memory alive, he'll always be with you."

Cindy's words struck a cord in Ruby. She knew that the wound Regis left would never fully heal and they would never properly move on, but what they could do was take up the fight for the future their father fought for so long. And live the lives of the strong, compassionate people he knew they'd grow up to be.

Ruby nodded determinedly and then, without hesitation, burst forward to hug the mechanic. The older woman was caught off guard for a moment, but afterwards she returned the embrace. "Thanks, Cindy.", she whispered.

She chuckled, rubbing Ruby's back comfortingly. "Not a problem."

* * *

"Is it wrong that I'm a little too excited for this?", Yang asked to Cor and Noctis, a slight grin forming on her face.

Cor rolled his eyes and sighed. "As long as you're channeling your enthusiasm into your fighting correctly, then no."

Noctis glared between the two of them. "Please don't encourage her."

"Why?", Yang asked. "Afraid I'll show you up?" Noctis snorted as they got ready to infiltrate the Niflheim base. The rest of the, along with Monica, fellow member of the Crownsguard, went to distract the Imperial forces to allow them to sneak in with little issue.

The sound of Cor clearing his throat broke their conversation. "Once the others begin their diversion, we'll being our infiltration. I expect the two of you to take this seriously."

Yang nodded. "Don't worry, we got this."

She felt Noctis gently grab her shoulder before he approached the entrance to the base. "Just… be careful alright." She faltered slightly at her brother's concerned tone.

Only a day or so had past since the fall of Insomnia and now they were already taking the fight to the Empire. Even though Noctis agreed in leaving Ruby behind in Hammerhead, he wasn't entirely happy with Yang coming along with them in the fight. However, both Cor and Yang herself were confident in her combat abilities and if she was both physically and mentally capable in handling herself under that sort of pressure, he couldn't seem to put forth an argument other than one:

 _You're my little sister._

With their father gone, it was now Noctis' duty to care for and protect Ruby and Yang and if anything happened to them, whether they were hurt or put through even more grief, he didn't know what he would do.

And Yang knew that very well. But she wasn't a child anymore, far from it and Noctis had to trust her when she wanted to prove that she was ready for this war. Because accepting her role in this situation would mean accepting responsibility and her duty as a princess. She had just as much of a role in taking back the kingdom and the Crystal as Noctis and she was definitely capable of helping out in a fight. But, of course, that didn't mean that his 'big brother instincts' wouldn't kick in at the first sign of danger.

She gently removed her brother's hand from her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Trust me."

Noctis studied her for a while. While he was aware of her abilities, the last he wanted was for his sister to get hurt. Even though Yang was younger than him, there were moments where she seemed to have things more together than she did. But that didn't mean that he was going to let her throw herself head first into danger. "Of course, I know. I trust you."

* * *

"So, who's your _friend_ , Cor?", Gladio asked sarcastically as a man working a giant mech went on the attack. The marshal didn't respond as he stared the man down.

Loqi Tummelt, the Brigadier General of Niflheim's army, seemed to be slightly fixated on Cor and his reputation and his desire to 'finally take him out' but, honestly, no-one in the group had it in them to even humour the guy.

"Finally taking down Cor the Immortal! Why, I never thought I'd see the day!", he cried dramatically.

Yang rose an eyebrow and threw an expectant look at Noctis. "Like, he knows _we're_ here, too, right?"

The prince shook his head. "Well, the sooner we end this, sooner he shuts up."

Prompto chuckled at the remark. "No arguments there."

The group immediately went on the attack, giving everything they had, however, Loqi was just as prepared. Along with his own weapons, there were numerous Magitek Troopers sniping them from above. With a several simple warps, Noctis was able to easily take them out whilst the rest of the group kept Loqi subdued, letting out their attacks as they did so.

Weakening the mech with his elemental powers, Noctis figured it was time to turn up a notch. "Gladio, Marshal! Now!" On the orders of their prince, the two them carried out their special attacks, one after the other. Loqi let out a pained and surprised cry but he was weakened nonetheless.

"Yang, Prompto!"

"On it!", the princess replied. The two gunners took their stances in front of Loqi and let out their attacks on a particular part of the machine each. Once they were weakened, Noctis warped over to deal even more damage.

Yang continued dealing punches to the mech while at the same time avoiding Loqi's attacks. She was just as worn out as the rest of the group but she wasn't going to give up. Just as she was reloading her makeshift guns, one of Loqi's large metal arms swung at the princess, sending her flying and crashing to the ground. Noctis was about to run to her aid, but she held up a hand to placate him.

Noctis' eyes widened. He knew what she wanted to do.

Struggling to get to her feet, Yang could see Noctis and Prompto being overwhelmed by the Troopers flanking them from behind. She wasn't supposed to use it until it was the last resort, but with her friends and family in danger, she didn't have a choice.

The fight needed to end soon.

She clutched her necklace to her chest, squeezing her eyes shut. _Please._ She felt the magic's warm thrum beneath her fingers as she simultaneously felt power rush through her body. Her enhanced strength wasn't going to last long, so she had to make these hits counts.

"Gladio!", she called out. The Shield turned to lock eyes with her and based on his recognition of her now-red eyes and then travelling to the giant robot, he knew what her plan was. Now holding his broadsword in one hand, he held out the other for Yang to take. The blonde roughly grabbed hold and, with all of his strength, Gladio swung in a full one-eighty turn and threw Yang straight at the machine.

Shooting from her gauntlets to maintain her speed, Yang channeled all of her power in her fist, driving it into the armour upon impact. The machine flew back with the princess still on it, but Yang didn't waver and instead continued throwing punches and shooting bullets.

However, a while, the mech managed to shake her off but Yang could tell that she had dealt great damage to it. She could see Loqi frantically trying to bat her off but the machine was already slowing. With a final shot, she recoiled off of it, allowing the rest of the group to deal their blows.

She was about to continue fighting when she felt Noctis roughly grab her hand to shove a curative into it. Immediately, she felt her injuries mend and her pain ease away. Yang gave her silent thanks to her brother before jumping back in. She could hear Noctis grumble slightly from behind her.

But the prince knew what everyone else was thinking. They were so close to ending this.

With a final round of bullets, Prompto called out over his shoulder, "Finish him off, Noct!"

Ignis backed away after another attack. "Now, Noct!"

He nodded in understanding and put all his energy into a final warp. Once he teleported, he gave it his all and smirked in triumph when he heard Loqi cry out.

"No!", he exclaimed as his machine broke down.

The group took cover as an explosion reached across the battlefield. The heat of the flames raged against their skin but stayed protected nonetheless. Once the explosions ceased, Cor came from his cover carefully. Despite the fire, it seemed that part of the machine was still somehow intact. He motioned for Ignis to follow him out and the advisor nodded did just that. They flinched slightly when they saw movement from behind the wreckage. Thinking that they would probably need backup, Ignis nodded at Prompto. He knew what he meant and reluctantly left the rest of his friends.

The trio cautiously approached the wreckage, their weapons draw and ready for any surprises. Walking up to it, they couldn't see any immediate danger, only the flicker of flames in front of them. Prompto slowly walked around to see if he could find anything. After a while, Prompto didn't think he was going to find anything when he heard loud coughing from beside him. He immediately trained his gun onto the surviving soldier, unsure what to do next.

"Guys, over here!", he called out, not taking his eyes off the Loqi.

The man scowled as he looked up at the gunner but, after staring at each other for a while, Loqi's expression transitioned to confusion. "Wha-? Who-?"

"Prompto!", he heard Ignis call out. Just as he and Cor arrived at the scene, the rest of the machine exploded and Cor quickly moved to pull Prompto away. The force was enough to send them to the ground. Noctis, Yang and Gladio, who were watching the scene from afar, immediately ducked back down under cover.

The group coughed violently as smoke billowed around them and were only left with a few scrapes, cuts and bruises. Once the chaos has cleared, the group could see that Loqi was no longer at the scene.

Ignis carried out a swift sweep of the area, but it seemed that the soldier had fled the scene.

Prompto breathed out, exasperated by the day's events. "Seriously, Cor-Sir… what's your deal with that guy?"

Cor never answered, eyes transfixed on where Loqi previously was.

* * *

The group exited the car and Yang hopped off her bike as they started walking towards the garage. They had constantly pestered Cor about what was up with him and that Loqi guy, but his response was always the same: "Just someone who's had it out for me for some time."

Yang crossed her arms over her chest and raised an eyebrow. "Really? That doesn't clear things up for us."

Cor shrugged. "What am I, a mind reader? I don't know his reasons."

"Well, that's definitely comforting.", she replied sarcastically.

Prompto fidgeted slightly. "Do you think he even survived that?"

Gladio shook his head in disbelief. "He was right in the middle of the explosion. There's no way he could've."

"And yet there was no body.", Ignis countered.

"I hope not.", Prompto groaned. "That guy was a pain to fight. Plus, he weirded me out."

Noctis, who had been completely silent and uncommitted to the whole exchange, finally spoke up. Though Yang could tell that it wasn't going to be a positive contribution. "Would've been none the wiser about the fight if Yang hadn't _done what she did_." His tone of voice made it painfully obvious to everyone what he was talking about.

"What's the deal?", she asked defensively. "It made the fight a lot easier, didn't it?"

Noctis snorted. "I wouldn't have a problem with it if you didn't use it when your on the brink of critical injury." He frowned he saw Yang roll her eyes in annoyance. "Look, I'm just concerned for your well-being."

"Well, what did you expect me to do, Noct? You know using that power takes a lot out of me. If I use it too early during a fight or deal it back with minimal force, either way, it's a waste." Noctis groaned at not being able to get through to her. "You know I'm right!"

It looked like he still wasn't fully convinced so Gladio decided to step in. "Look, the fight was becoming overwhelming for everyone and we needed to take Loqi out fast. If Yang wanted to use _her own power_ in the fight, then it's her choice."

The young king still looked like he was struggling to agree with his sister. He could hear Cor hum in agreement from beside him. "It certainly made things less problematic. From a tactical standpoint, it made sense."

Noctis turned to face the Marshal. "So you're okay with Yang throwing herself into danger!"

Ignis laid a hand on Noctis' shoudler in order to placate him. "That's not what he's saying, Noct. The Marshal was only stating that given the power of Yang's abilities we are grateful of the fact that it helped in the battle. We are not saying we want her to use it every time she fights, just when it's necessary."

"I don't like Yang getting hurt either-", Prompto added. "-but it's really not that different to when you get worn from using too much magic."

Noctis squeezed his eyes shut. Growing in the safety of the kingdom, not having to worry about the threat of danger, Yang had no reason to use her abilities. But now that they were thrust out into the world, it was only a matter of time before shawould have to use it.

"Noct.", Yang said softly. He opened his eyes to meet his sister's lilac ones but could still imagine them replaced by the blood red ones. "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Come on!", Prompto said, slinging an arm around Noctis' shoulder. "Shouldn't keep Ruby waiting."

Walking up to the garage's entrance, Cor knocked on the front door of Cid's apartment. When the elder mechanic opened the door, he grinned at the group. "So, you give them Niffs what for?"

Gladio grinned. "That's one way of putting it.", he grinned as they walked in.

It wasn't long until they saw Ruby and Cindy sitting at the table engrossed in a conversation. Noctis wasn't going to lie, it was relieving to seeing his sister smiling the way she was. When she caught sight of them, her smile grew wider, though the earlier grief was still present in her eyes. She jumped from her chair and ran up to Yang and Noctis, throwing her arms around both of them.

"I'm so glad you guys are okay!", she exclaimed happily.

Yang chuckled as she rubbed her sister's back comfortingly. "It's going to be a long time before they get the better of us."

Noctis simply hugged Ruby back tightly. "You alright?"

Ruby peeled away from the two of them and nodded slowly. "Yeah. At least, as good as I can be."

Cor walked up to her to put a hand on her back. He gave a small but relieved smile. "You sure?"

She gave a quick glance at Cindy and then nodded determinedly. "Yeah. I'm sure."

His hand travelled to her shoulder and gave it a supportive squeeze. "That's good. I'm proud of you."

Sighing, she wrapped her arms around his uncle. "Thanks."

* * *

After another day in the training, Blake was summoned to outside of the Emperor's throne room by… Verstael. _Great._

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Commander Loqi being escorted by a small group of doctors trying to attend to the many injuries where the places where his metal armour should've been. He was walking with a limp and was holding an ice pack to his cheekbone and his side with the other. When he and Blake crossed paths, she smirked at him.

"What happened, Loqi?", she teased. "The bratty royals and their babysitters proved to be to much for you?"

He sneered at her. "Shut up, Blake." She held up at her hands in mock defence. "Where is Chief Besithia? We have an urgent matter to discuss."

Blake nodded to the throne room. "Talking to the Emperor. He asked for me personally, so wait your turn."

Loqi rolled his eyes. "Fine. Tell him I'll be in his main laboratory."

She rocked back on her heels as the soldier didn't wait for a response before storming away. "Will do!", she called out.

Blake flinched to the side when she saw Chief scientist abruptly exited the room and he frowned when he caught sight of Blake. Seriously, did that guy ever smile?

"You asked for me.", Blake said.

Verstael nodded jerkily. "The Emperor and I have come to an agreement. You are being put on the front line for the hunt for the Oracle and her sister. They were last seen near the Disc of Cauthess so you will be deposited there. I expect you to be ready to depart within the hour."

Before Blake could even comprehend what was told to her, Verstael swiftly turned on his heels and went to storm away. "Um, why didn't anyone ask me about this?!"

The scientist turned with an unimpressed look on his face. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"Yeah, 'cause I've never left the building before, I'll know nothing about where I'm going! Seriously, there's a hundred other people more qualified for this than I am."

Verstael rolled his eyes as if dismissing the claim of a bratty child. "You have skills that exceed even our higher ranking soldiers. This will be the perfect opportunity to see if your abilities will have any…" He looked her up and down with great disdain. "Value in a proper combat situation."

Blake scoffed. "Would've been nice if someone had consulted me about it first!" She threw her arms up in frustration. "No one seems to have any problem throwing me into the fray without any regards about what I thought! Did you even think about what I-?"

She couldn't finish her sentence before sharp pain exploded across her cheek, causing her to stumble to the side a couple of steps. Her breath sped up a tad and her eyes flitted around to look at anything other than Verstael. Catching sight of several guards standing around, none of them even flinched after witnessing what transpired.

The sad thing was that Blake wasn't surprised in the slightest.

"Know you place, girl.", Verstael spat. "You have no authority, talking back to me like that. And after everything the Empire has done for you. You could've been left on the streets to die but you were given a second chance. We saved your life and all we ask in return is your cooperation. You have now been given a mission that only our most high-ranking ranking soldiers would've dreamed of having and here you question it like an ungrateful child."

His voice was low and quiet but the venomous words were twisting into Blake's gut like a dagger. "Well?", he asked expectantly. "Do you have anything to say?"

She coughed awkwardly. "Sorry."

Verstael rose an eyebrow. "Sorry, what?"

She squeezed her eyes shut. "Sorry, _Sir_."

He considered her for a second before nodding. "That's better. You will report to the throne room when you are ready."

Blake nodded. "Yes, Sir."

"Was there anything else?", he asked flippantly as if he didn't just hit the girl.

A dry laugh escaped her lips but she quickly ceased it before Verstael did anything else. "Loqi's waiting for you in your lab."

He didn't even give her response.

Opening her eyes, Blake went to make her way to her dorm to prepare for her mission and turned around, jumping slightly when she saw… Aranea. The woman's face was unreadable.

"What?", Blake seethed. "Enjoyed the show?"

Aranea sighed and met her eyes. "You okay, kid?"

Blake was surprised by her genuine concern. She was honestly expecting anything else. "Why do you care all of a sudden?"

"Because it wasn't right." She spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Blake clearly wasn't convinced.

She rolled her eyes. "And that's what you think, right?"

"Look, kid-" Aranea crossed her arms and stepped closer to Blake. "-I know you and me don't get along, but it doesn't mean I want… that to happen to you."

The older woman attempted to grip her shoulder, but Blake shook her off. "Really, it's nothing."

"We both know that's not true."

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it, anyway. Unless, you know, I want a disciplining from Verstael again."

The word _'again'_ … it made Aranea wonder if that was all just a… regular occurrence. She wasn't sure what made her reach out to her face, examining the reddening skin. It was definitely going to leave a bruise.

As if sensing what she was thinking, Blake weakly pushed her away, getting ready to leave. "Seriously, _stop_." Her voice sounded strained. Aranea opened her mouth to interrupt but she beat her to the punch. "I'm _fine_." She brushed past Aranea but gradually picked her pace and was gone within seconds.

After Aranea watched after the girl, she subtly looked around to see the soldiers still minding their own business, not even acknowledging what Verstael had done to her.

 _Just how sick_ were _these people?_

* * *

 _This is bad, this is bad, this is_ bad _._

The mantra rang and repeated through her head as she whirled through the crowds in Lestallum following her run in with Iris Amicitia.

After she and Luna had arrived, they had to make the risky move of going out into the town to find some supplies. Out of all of the things Weiss thought she would do one day, travelling with her sister through Eos on foot was not one of them. Given the distance that they were travelling, they ran out of necessities quite quickly.

Luna was focused on getting to the Disc before the day was out and the daemons came out but Weiss was adamant about finding more supplies. With what they had left, she would be surprised if they lasted for a couple more days. As they travelled across the vast landscape, the two princesses came across many civilians and, despite their efforts to stay hidden, almost every time they were recognised.

Most insisted to give the two of them their aid, such as offering them food or even a ride to wherever they were headed, they had to respectfully decline, since they had to avoid both detection and the public eye as much as they could. However, that didn't stop people from insisting that they took some money.

They weren't even a week into a war and people were still willing give whatever they could to help. It reminded them that humanity was still shining in the world. _No wonder Luna is so dedicated to helping the people._

However, seeing as they travelled from Insomnia to Lestallum in the span of a couple of days and were bound to come across many people, they considered the possibility of the news catching wind of their whereabouts. They were believed to be dead by the majority of the population so they wouldn't be surprised if people would spread the word to everyone that the Oracle and her sister were alive and hitchhiking across Eos.

And with the Empire hunting them down, most likely bent on killing them, they couldn't afford being caught or revealed by any bystanders. If they were, the two of them were quick to make their getaway.

And then Lestallum happened. Luna insisted on going with Weiss into the market place but the younger princess argued that, with the vast but crowded area, travelling together would attract attention to themselves. After much consideration, Luna agreed to let her go alone, as much as she didn't want her to. Too much had happened in the last couple of days, so she was worried that splitting up would do more harm than good.

Weiss opted for a little corner shop near the edge of the town and covered her face with her hood as best as she could. Placing the necessities in a bag, she tactically added up the prices and it came to a doable one with some to spare. She did her best to not speak or make eye contact with the shopkeeper as she handed him the money but even not doing that got her caught.

"L-lady Weiss?", he asked in disbelief. The princess bit her lip hard, unable to decide whether to reply or not. "I'm relieved to see you alive!" She flinched at his raised voice and quickly turned around to see if there was anyone nearby to hear. Thankfully, there wasn't. The man caught onto her concern and frowned. "My apologies, I'm just glad to see that rumours are true."

Weiss smiled slightly. "Thank you." She looked back over her shoulder again. "May I ask if you keep this from the locals for a while? The secrecy of my location is very important."

The shopkeeper nodded slowly. "Of course, but… what of Lady Lunafreya? If you don't mind me asking."

She looked away nervously. "Sorry, but I'd rather not say."

"I understand." He handed the princess her bag. "Is there anything else I can do to help?"

Weiss went to shake her head when she saw a small stack on the counter and picked up a small set of stickers and stamps. She smiled when she remembered that Luna was fond of collecting those of things and figured that it would be good to brighten up her spirits with.

"How much are these?"

The shopkeeper chuckled and shook his head. "For you, Your Highness, free of charge."

Weiss rolled her eyes in amusement. "Don't be silly." Before the man could say anything in response, she fished around her change and paid the price. "Thank you. I'll be going now."

She heard the man call out to her as discreetly as he could. "Safe travels, Your Highness."

With a nod of gratefulness, Weiss took off with a light jog. Even though she trusted that the shopkeeper wouldn't say anything, she couldn't take her chances. She pulled her hood even more over her face self-consciously when she felt people's gazes on her. She refused to meet their eyes but the pressure was suffocating her. As she caught sight of those in front of her looking straight at her, Weiss began to pick up the pace.

She had to get out of there.

However, she didn't know the full layout of the town, only when here she where she came from, but even then it was hard to navigate. Choosing to go down an alleyway, away from everyone else, she put no limitations on her running and bolted down the street.

When she thought she was safe, she collided with someone as she whirled around a corner. She heard a girl exclaim from in front of. "Oh! I-I am so sorry!"

Weiss waved her off, picking up her stuff. "No, no, it was my fault. I should've seen where I was going."

Just then she noticed that her hood was down and her face was exposed. However, it was too late to try and hide it when the girl spoke again. "Lady Weiss?"

Looking in front of her, she knew who this person was. Iris Amicitia. She recognised her from the pictures Ruby and Yang had sent her over the years. And this was technically how they were meeting. Huh, small world, I guess. She also felt tremendous relief that she made it out of Insomnia and survived the invasion.

Iris went to say something to her and Weiss wanted to stay, but she couldn't afford to. Not only was she risking others catching sight of her, but she was keeping Luna waiting. She couldn't stay when she was also at risk of being seen, or worse… Weiss shoved that possibility down deep as soon as it came to mind.

"I-I have to go." She pulled her hood back up and didn't give the young girl a chance to respond. She didn't even care about a low profile anymore. She just wanted to get back to Luna.

She sprinted down the street, not even stopping when she felt a stitch in her side. Her heart lifted when she saw her sister kneeling down at the end of the block, petting Umbra, Pryna and Zwei comfortingly. The Oracle's eyes lit up at the sight of Weiss but faltered when the younger girl drove into her arms and wrapped her around her shoulders. After spending so many years practically glued at each other's side, going away from Luna in a war-torn situation made her worry a great deal about her.

Luna rubbed her back soothingly. "Hey, are you okay?"

Weiss tore away from her her frowned slightly. "Yeah, its… are _you_ okay?"

Luna mirrored her expression. "Of course. What did you think was going to happen to me?"

Do you really wasn't me to answer that?

She sighed and grabbed Luna's wrist dragging her along. "I was definitely seen by a bunch of people, so we have to go _now_."

Luna didn't resist.

* * *

Verstael grumbled as he approached his lab where Loqi was apparently waiting. After the failure of his mission, what right did he have to demand his time? Nevertheless, he may as well saw what he wanted so he could get on with his job.

The man had just finished fixing up his injuries but jumped when he heard the door open from behind him. He turned around to see the scientist standing there, staring him down, hands clasped behind his back. The soldier's expression became hardened and cold and slowly went to approach him.

The scientist huffed. "The Emperor is not happy with your failure." Loqi had nothing to say to that. "It should've been child's play." The soldier maintained his stony expression. "So what was so incredibly important that you wanted to talk to me about?"

Loqi didn't say anything for a while but then strode across the room to slam the door shut, the sound echoing around them. "There's something you need to know."

* * *

 **Was wondering if the Loqi fight went on too long, please let me know! And don't worry about Loqi, I'm not done with him yet! See you next chapter!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Know it's quite late but hope** **everyone's had a good holiday and a happy new year! Thanks to you guys being patient with this story since school life has been busy! Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to © Rooster Teeth and © Square Enix respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

"And Iris is sure that she saw her?", Noctis asked as the group as they exited the garage. Soon after arriving back, Ruby filled the group in on Iris' call and her 'meeting' with Weiss. Even though it had happened a while ago, it was still confirmation that she most likely Luna were alive. Not to mention, with Imperial movement going on, they wanted to check on Iris as soon as possible to make sure that she and the others were okay.

Ruby nodded as she went over to the motorcycle with her sister. "Yeah, and it wasn't too long ago."

"And what of Lady Lunafreya?", Ignis inquired as he opened the car door to the driver's seat. Noctis winced at that question. He desperately wanted to ask that himself but he was held back by the fear that he would get an undesirable answer.

"We figured that the two of them must be travelling together. There were also a bunch of reports on some so-called sightings." Ruby looked amongst the group. "So we have reason to believe that they're both okay."

Noctis breathed out heavily as his shoulders loosened. Hearing the reassurance that both Weiss _and_ Luna were possibly alive eased his nerves and anxiety beyond relief. It had only been a couple of days ago since the royals' excitement to see their childhood friends after so long had been dashed. In an instant, their priorities had changed so drastically from Noctis marrying Luna to preparing to take back their kingdom.

After the fall of Insomnia and the death of those close to them, Noctis wasn't ready to lose anyone else at the hands of the Empire. Now it was a matter of finding the two princesses themselves. However, first, they had to meet up with Iris to make sure that she was okay.

 _One step at a time._

He snapped out of his thoughts as Cor went up to the group. "You sure you're gonna be okay?" He seemingly asked that question to the whole group but Ruby knew who it was really directed at.

She sighed and went to pat him on the arm. "It'll be fine. You can't babysit us forever."

The Marshal rolled his eyes. "I know. I just can't help but feel that I'm responsible for you now."

Yang shrugged. "Well, we've got our stuff to take of, and you've got yours. It seems like you might be a little busy to worry about us."

Cor smirked. "I don't think I'll ever not worry about you two.

He looked up at the others as the girls got ready to go. "Stay safe."

Noctis held up his arm in response. "Same to you." Cor sighed. What was he ever going to do with those kids?

Ruby turned around to see Cid and Cindy also waving their goodbyes. Before she could register what she was doing, she jumped off the bike and quickly ran over to hug the younger mechanic again. The woman chuckled and hugged her back. "Remember what I said?", she whispered.

Ruby nodded. "I won't forget." She looked down at her feet nervously before looking up again. "Thanks again, Cindy."

The two of them broke apart, Cindy leaving a hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Don't mention." She began trotting back to the bike when she called out, "Take care of yourself now!"

The princess gave a thumbs up. "Got it!", she called out as Yang revved up the engine.

Prompto sighed. "Okay, so, Ruby hugs Cindy and it's considered cute. But if I want to hug her as thanks for repairing the car, it's considered creepy."

Noctis pushed him lightly. "Don't worry, man, you'll get there someday."

"Emphasis on the 'someday'.", Gladio added jokingly.

The photographer rolled his eyes as the car pulled out, along with the bike, and the group gave their final goodbyes to Cor, Cid and Cindy.

When they were gone, Cid leaned to the side with a hand on hip. "Ya really think they'll be alright?"

Cor glanced at the old mechanic and considered his question for a moment. As much as he wanted to admit that they were all more than capable to handle what the Empire could throw at them, there was still the undeniable fact that they were still so young to take charge of a war. Nonetheless, he still had hope that they would get through it together. "Yeah. It'll be hard, but I have every bit of faith that it'll be a long while before they're taken down."

Cid smirked and looked to Cor. "Even Reggie's kids?"

The Marshal nodded determinedly. "Especially his kids."

The older mechanic gave a dry chuckle. "Stubborn, like their old man."

Cor smiled warmly as he looked out towards the horizon longingly. "That's one way of putting it."

* * *

For the duration of the journey to Lestallum, Gladio was on the phone to his younger sister. After they had set off, he immediately got onto the phone with Iris to make sure himself that she was alright. Other than Cor's confirmation that she had been escorted safely out of the city, the phone lines had been dead and Gladio was unable to contact her directly. Now, with Ruby's recent conversation with the girl, he was now able to talk to Iris. The rest of the group didn't miss the look of relief on Gladio's face as he talked to his sister.

"Don't worry, Iris, we're getting there as soon as we can.", the Shield said. He paused for a moment and then grinned as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Another pause. "Yep, we'll be there soon. Love you too, sis." He sighed as he hung up his phone and slipped it into into his pocket.

Prompto, who was sitting in the front seat of the car, sighed in relief. He turned around in his seat to face the Shield. "Good thing that Iris is okay."

Gladio blew air threw his teeth. "Yeah, I'm grateful that they were able to get her out."

Noctis shifted nervously in his seat. "Can't imagine what it must've been like for her." The thought of a teenage Iris at the heart of the invasion became too hard for the king to think about, but that only made him consider what Gladio must've been feeling in comparison. He was always very protective of his little sister so the fact that he was away when the city was attacked and having no way to contact her afterwards would definitely have been a troubling couple of days for him. He turned around in his seat to see Yang and Ruby on the bike behind them.

The two of them were only slightly older than Iris… he didn't want to think about what it would've been like if they had been in Insomnia during the invasion. Nonetheless he was relieved that the girl made it out alive.

"Gotta talk to her about dad, though.", Gladio sighed regretfully.

The king winced at that. Though Iris was in Insomnia at the time of the invasion, she wouldn't have known what had happened to her brother or her father. Even with everything that had happened, she would have to inevitably find out the tragic reality of her family. However, in a way, Noctis was slightly jealous of her. When Noctis, Yang and Ruby first found out about their father's death, it was from a newspaper tabloid and confirmed over the phone. At least Iris would have the comfort of hearing the truth from her brother.

"I'm sure she'll be grateful to have you there, though.", Noctis said, trying his best to sound positive.

Ignis nodded in agreement. "I think it's important that she receives the support that she'll undoubtedly need."

Gladio nodded as well. "Yeah, she'll obviously have a lot to deal with, but I'm confident that she'll pull through."

Noctis couldn't argue with that. Even though Iris could be quite stubborn, she was also a determined individual with a steady resolve. However, he couldn't help feeling guilty for not being able to prevent any of that chaos or despair. He began to wonder what could've happened if he was there when Insomnia fell. Could he have saved his father and Clarus or any of the innocent bystanders? Would he have been strong enough to fight against the Empire? Would the invasion still have been a success?

But Noctis didn't want to linger on 'what ifs' for too long, as they would just make the reality all the more painful.

* * *

Yang frowned when she saw the Regalia slow to a stop but stopped next to them anyway. "What's up?"

Prompto hopped out of the car and when to follow Noctis, who was already walking off. "Gonna head into the Balouve Mines. Turns out there's a royal arm for Noct to claim. 'Bow of the Clever', apparently."

Yang was caught off guard for a moment. Another royal arm? For Noctis to… "Yay.", she responded halfheartedly.

Ruby shook her sister's arm. "Ooh, what if there're monsters in there? Let's check it out!"

She didn't wait for the others to respond and bolted after her brother. "Wasn't she the one who couldn't stand monster fights at first?", Ignis inquired.

Yang shrugged. "Well, if you missed out on taking down an Imperial base, I bet you'd be craving some action as well."

Noctis swiftly entered the cave that housed the tomb, knowing how much the other would've wanted to get back on the road as soon as possible. However, Yang didn't follow her brother and instead picked up her pace so that she was walking next to Gladio. She knew the guys probably talked about a certain issue in the car, but she just wanted to make sure. "Hey, are you sure you're okay?"

The Shield's gaze travelled to the hers momentarily before shaking his head, sighing. "I'll be fine. It's Iris that I'm worried about. She saw the whole invasion happen and she doesn't even know what happened to her own father."

"I get it, you just want to be there for your little sister.", Yang replied. "But that shouldn't mean that you forget about yourself."

"I know, but I've had more time to deal with it. Can't imagine what it's gonna be like when I tell her."

Yang could definitely understand where the Shield was coming from. She also knew what I felt like to lose a parent, but couldn't imagine what it would feel like to break that news to somebody. The best she could do in response was to say the same thing her family agreed upon.

"Well… you just need to let her know that you're there for her. That you can work through it together."

Gladio grinned at her. "You're right." He patted her shoulder. "Thanks." He then frowned at her. "When did you become so wise?"

The blonde held her hands up and flashed a bright smile. "What can I say? It's the company I keep."

Ruby came out of the cave, arms crossed and a pout on her face. "There was nothing in there to fight."

Prompto gaped. "Oh no, there wasn't anything that could lead to our certain death." He dramatically placed a hand on his chest. "The horror."

Noctis rose an eyebrow. "I know you're being sarcastic, but that's probably how she actually feels."

The princess grinned and skipped back to the bike. "You'd probably be right."

* * *

Ignis pulled up the car just outside Lestallum's entrance and Yang swiftly parked the bike next to the Regalia and Ruby immediately hopped off as the others exited the car. She whistled. "Wow, the more we venture outside of the city, the weirder it feels."

Prompto bumped her shoulder with his. "Welcome to the club."

Yang raised a hand over her forehead to shield her eyes from the sun as she looked at the place from top to bottom. "Never seen anything like it. You see something new everyday!"

"Certainly a surprising experience if you're venturing outside city life for the first time.", Ignis added as he nodded in agreement. Despite everything that had happened, it was still an interesting endeavour whenever they arrived somewhere new.

The group made their way into the moving crowds and tried their best to not draw much attention to themselves. Even though it was probably already all over the news that the prince and princesses of Lucis were very much alive and roaming down the roads of Eos, it was still important that they didn't get caught up in anything that posed a threat to their safety. Especially after taking down one of the Imperial bases, the Empire was most definitely on the warpath for them.

Though Noctis was at the front of the group, his eyes unconsciously wandered over his shoulder to make sure that Ruby and Yang didn't fall behind or get distracted by anything. With the large wandering crowd, he wasn't ready to have them out of his sight in case anything unexpected happened. At least when they left Ruby in Hammerhead, he was confident that she was safe.

When they finally entered the Leville, a flash of black bolted down the stairs and into the lobby. Iris paused at the bottom and took in the sight of the group and her eyes filled with joy and relief when her eyes landed on her brother.

"Gladdy!", she exclaimed and dashed towards him, throwing her arms around him.

He immediately returned the embrace and hugged his sister tight, as this was the first time they had seen each other since the invasion. They had both received confirmation that they were both alright, but seeing each other in that moment lifted a crushing weight from their shoulders. "I'm so glad you're okay.", she said. "I was so worried!"

Gladio chuckled wryly. " _You're_ worried about _me_? How did you think I felt?"

Iris giggled as the two of them broke apart. "I'm fine. Well, as fine as I can be considering, you know…", she trailed off and everyone remained silent for a moment.

After that, Ruby spoke up and gently wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "But, hey, at least we're all together again."

The younger teenager smiled and returned the hug, glad that she was back with her family and friends. "Why don't we stop wasting time standing around and head upstairs?"

The group nodded and Iris' smile grew and took Ruby by the hand, lightly dragging her towards the staircase. "You guys settling in okay?", Noctis asked as they followed her.

She looked back over her shoulder and shrugged as she hopped up the stairs. "It's only been a couple of days since we arrived, but it's been mostly okay. Have you guys had a proper look around the town?" She looked between the group, who all shook their heads. "Oh man, we've got to go out at some point!"

"Will do!", Prompto exclaimed happily.

Noctis noticed the way Gladio's hand momentarily tightened on the handrail before continuing to walk up. Seeing his sister so happy was going to make it all the more harder to break the sad truth to her.

Iris took them up to their hotel room where they were greeted by Jared, the family butler, and his grandson, Talcott. "Glad to see you guys are also alright.", Gladio said to the two them.

The older man nodded nodded but Talcott peeled away from his grandfather and jumped in front of the three royals, giving a hasty bow. "It's so great to meet you, Your Highness!"

Jared rolled his eyes and sighed. "Talcott, what we discuss about your manners?"

Yang waved her hand. "It's not that big of a deal. We don't mind." Her brother and sister nodded in agreement.

The butler bowed nonetheless and gently took Talcott by the hand. "We'll leave you all to settle in. Goodnight, everyone." Talcott waved at everyone as he left, enthusiastically saying "Night!" as well.

As the door closed, Ruby said, "Huh, he seems pretty chipper."

Iris shrugged in response. "Don't let his age fool you. He's pretty smart for such a young kid."

"I hear that.", Gladio agreed.

The group sat on the beds and chairs around the room and Iris wrung her hands nervously, knowing full well what was one everyone's minds. Noctis looked down to the ground and closed his eyes. "Iris, if it's okay to ask-"

"You want to know what happened in Insomnia.", she interrupted, sparing the king the awkwardness of asking a question that only had a negative answer.

Gladio placed a supportive hand on her shoulder. "You sure you okay to talk about it?"

She nodded slowly. "Yeah, its fine." She took in a long breath and spent just as much time letting it out. "Just as the signing took place, fighting broke out in the treaty room, which was when the broadcast was cut off. Shortly after that, airships began flying in and either began bombing the Citadel and nearby towns or shooting down any civilians in those areas. We did what we could to avoid those attacks but Dustin, Monica and others from the Crownsguard helped us escape the city."

She gave a half-hearted laugh. "Guess we got out in time." After a pause, she hesitantly looked up at Gladio. "But none of them said anything about dad."

And there it was. The news that no one should've been delivering to a child. Gladio sighed heavily and knelt down so that he was level with Iris. As harsh as it was, he couldn't beat around the bush when it came to his sister. Her sorrowful eyes matched his. "Iris… I'm sorry, but… dad didn't survive the attack."

The broken gasp Iris gave was heart-breaking. She bowed her head to hide her face and gripped the edge of her seat tightly. She didn't resist when Gladio wrapped his arms around her or when Ruby gently placed her hand over her friend's.

"We're really sorry, Iris.", she said as supportively as she could. But when a person's loved one was taken away from them on the same day they lost their home, what could she possibly say to her? All of them were still dealing with their own grief, the wounds still fresh.

The teenager gently eased her hand out from under her friend's. "It's okay." She wiped her eyes. "It'll be fine. I mean, I'll be fine." As she retracted from her brother's embrace, she stood up from her chair. "Is it okay if I just…", she trailed off looking over her shoulder and towards the door.

"Of course.", Gladio reassured her. He gave her one last hug and Iris began making her way out. She tried her best to give a smile to the group.

"I'll see you guys later, okay?"

The rest of them nodded, quietly bidding their goodnights as she exited the room. Prompto's gaze lingered on the door. "Should she really be alone right now?"

"I think Iris needs the time and space to come to terms with the news.", Ignis replied. "She's already been through a lot."

Prompto nodded. "I get that, but maybe she should have someone there to support her. Let her know that she's not alone."

Noctis hesitantly looked over to Gladio. "You can talk to her if you want."

The Shield bristled slightly and the others could tell that he wanted nothing more than to be there for his little sister. After all, they were the only family each of them had left. "You sure?" Since his duty was to the guard the royal family, he was reluctant to leave them.

"We're only down the hall.", Yang added. "I think we'll be okay for one night."

With one more look at his friends, Gladio heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, guys." And with that, he went to leave the room.

A drawn out silence hung in the room as the remaining five continued to sit around, the sense of dread still hanging in the air.

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Prompto jumped up from the bed to kneel next to Ruby. "Hey, wanna look at some pictures I snapped of us seizing the base!", he asked dramatically.

Ruby smiled widely. "Sure!" The two of them began scrolling through the photos.

Ignis put a hand on his face and sighed exasperatedly. "What did we say about taking pictures during a fight?"

The photographer rolled his eyes. "Come on, Iggy, I wasn't that bad. I mean, we're alive, aren't we?"

"Doesn't change the fact that you have _incredibly_ poor timing when it comes to photos.", Noctis responded. He paused when he caught sight of one of the images. "Still, I can't believe that you can actually catch some good ones when there are things trying to kill you."

Prompto shrugged. "What can I say? It's a natural talent."

Yang chuckled. "That's putting it lightly." She leaned over to get a good look at the camera. "Hey, have you got any shots of me punching that giant mech?"

Ruby's eyes widened. "I'm sorry, what?! You can't say something like so casually!"

All her sister could do was shrug with a smirk on her face. Ruby shook her head in a no nonsense manner. "Nuh-uh. Details. Now."

* * *

Once nightfall had come, the group were fully settled and Ruby had Yang relay the entire story of their fight at the base, much to her older sister's chagrin. As much as Noctis still didn't like the idea of Yang using her unique power, he couldn't help but smile at Ruby's enthusiasm when she heard of their sister's, as she put it, awesome feats. It meant a lot of him to her see her smile like that again and he hope that, despite everything that had happened, they would all be able to keep their spirits up.

Even as they were getting ready to settle into bed for the night, they noticed that Gladio hadn't arrived back from talking to Iris. They figured that the two siblings were going to stick together for the night. Just like they did, the two of them would've need a certain amount of time to wrap their heads around everything.

With Yang and Ruby sleeping in the bed furthest from the door and Noctis and Prompto staying in the one closest, Ignis agreed with staying on the couch for the night. Once the four of them were settled in their beds, the advisor said his goodnight before switching off the light, leaving only the dim glow of a bedside lamp. Noctis didn't know about everyone else but, despite how tired he felt after such a tiring day, he couldn't seem to turn his mind off so that he could fall asleep.

He buried his face into pillow as the reality of being king seeped in deeper. Both the weight of the kingdom and the world was on his shoulders. He didn't just have taking back the kingdom to worry about, but also his role as the Chosen King. He hadn't thought about it for a long while but with the Empire now having control over most of the world and the Crystal being in their possession, it wasn't something that they could ignore. Not only did the Crystal sustain the Wall around Insomnia for years but it was a part of something far greater than he was.

Saving a kingdom was one thing, but saving the world?

Noctis immediately shut that thought down. Now wasn't the time to dwell on that matter. It was vital that he didn't try to take up so many things at once. He had to take everything one step at a time. And as long as he had his friends and family by his side, he didn't have to worry. He found it crushing to think that Luna and Weiss didn't have that sort of support growing up. He knew they'd have to rectify that once they were all together again.

* * *

He didn't know when he fell asleep, but given how tired his mind was he wasn't all that surprised. However, he couldn't fathom how he was awake in the middle of the night. Noctis was a deep sleeper and he only woke either when he got a good amount of sleep or if he was shaken awake. As he groggily came to, he knew it wasn't the former. The large nudge on his back only confirmed that.

A low growl came from behind him and Noctis' mind immediately went to the idea of a daemon. However, as he turned around, he immediately dismissed that possibility. While it was incredibly unlikely for a daemon to get into the Leville, even if there was one he doubted it would've taken so long to attack.

When he turned around, his face almost bumped into the culprit's. It took Noctis a while to fully wake up but his eyes widened when he realised who it was. "Umbra!", Noctis whispered, his surprise making it hard to keep quiet. He felt Prompto stir from beside him at the sound of his voice and Noctis waited until the blonde was settled again. He was about to speak again when the dog began to lick his face and the king struggled to contain his laughter.

Discreetly slipping out of bed, Noctis gently guided Umbra in his direction and headed out of the door, shutting it behind him as quietly as he could. He sat down with his back against the wall, giving the dog a proper greeting by throwing his arms around him. The dog whined and rested his head on Noctis' shoulder.

"I know, buddy, I missed you too.", he whispered as petted his head. He had last seen the dog only a couple days before the news of the invasion and seeing him again made him feel relieved that Umbra was okay.

After Noctis pulled him away, he noticed the distinctive red on his back. If that was a message from Luna that could've only meant one thing…

He swiftly took the notebook from the dog and immediately began to frantically flick through the pages. His chest expanded when he settled on the most recent page. His eyes momentarily travelled to the page before where he could see their exchange before Insomnia had fallen. It was a complete contrast to what was written now:

 _Noctis,_

 _It means a lot to me that I'm now able to speak to you again, I hope that you are all well and safe in light of everything that has happened in the last couple of days and wanted to inform you that both Weiss and I are perfectly fine. We managed to escape Insomnia safely (well, as safely as we could) and we should be on our way to Altissia soon._

There seemed to be another couple of lines of writing but, for some reason, it was all scribbled out before another block of text.

Noctis, words cannot begin to describe how sorry I am about what happened in Insomnia, as none of you deserved any of that to _happen to you. In times like this, I wish that I was there to offer my comfort and support in person instead of a simple letter, but I promise that we will see each other again. I didn't imagine that our reunion would be under these circumstances and I had honestly hoped that things would've been different._

 _However, there is an urgent matter of business that Weiss and I need to attend to and I'm guessing that you're now wondering what we've been doing. We both miss you all so dearly but it's not something I think you're all ready to be involved in._

 _I…_

Another two lines were crossed out.

 _It's incredibly hard to put into words, but I hope that you'll understand soon._

 _Noctis… do you remember our promise?_

 _With all my love, Luna._

Noctis took in a shuddering breath and bowed in his head in a silent prayer. He didn't realise how much he needed to hear from Luna as one truth had set in: she and Weiss could've died in Insomnia. Even though they had lost everything that day, he couldn't begin to imagine the horrors that the two of them must've seen first hand. Luna was worried about not being able to offer her support in person but Noctis couldn't help guilty that _he_ was unable to offer _his_. But the important thing was that both of them were alive and well and Luna had confirmed that they were going to see each other again.

The relief was enough to make Noctis tear up.

However, he couldn't wrap his head around the 'urgent matter of business' that she had to deal with. What could she have had to deal with straight after escaping the invasion? If anything, he expected that all of them would've been working towards meeting up and planning everything else from there.

But his mind wandered to her last message.

 _"do you remember our promise?"_

How could he have forgotten? He could still remember their exchange from all those years ago. Luna had vowed that she would do everything in her power to help Noctis fulfil his destiny as the Chosen King, as that was her calling as the Oracle. And he had promised that he would go through with it and would not let her down.

Neither of them fully knew what that would've required of them at the time, but they agreed that no matter what, they would help each other and accept their duty of banishing the darkness together. It seemed like a naive dream at the time, two children prepared to save world, but the more he thought about it as he grew up, the more real it felt. He was the prophesied True King and he had to prepare himself for the time to come.

He just didn't expect it would happen now. If Luna was fulfilling her part of the promise, that would mean that they didn't just have the kingdom to take back, but he and Luna also had to dispel the darkness from the world. He clutched their notebook tightly to his chest. He… he wasn't sure if he was ready. If he could deal with that responsibility. While he did have his friends and family by his side, Luna was the only one who was in the boat as he was and understood the feeling of the world on your shoulders. If there was someone he needed to help him through this, it would have to be her.

But what about the nagging voice at the back of his mind? The one that told him that once with was all over, he would take over as King of Lucis and Luna would simply go back to her country. With the wedding practically called off, what did that mean for them? Would they just pretend that they weren't technically engaged? Or would they still consider it?

He wouldn't say it out loud but, even though it was only for treaty purposes, Noctis couldn't help but feel… excited at the prospect of marrying Luna. The first time they were going to see each other in twelve years was at their wedding and, while marriage wasn't exactly a topic on his mind, Noctis longed for something with her.

Besides, she was the only girl he had in mind all that time. But he couldn't possibly tell her that. How could he? If he told her all of that and she didn't reciprocate those feelings, he would most definitely be crushed. No, he couldn't be so open about those sort of feelings, at least not until he was sure about how she felt.

Pulling out a pen, he wrote his response:

 _Luna,_

 _It's an absolute relief to hear from you again. I heard about the possibility that you guys made it out okay, but getting this message_

 _I hope you two okay and that you're travelling safely and that we can meet up eventually._

 _And, yes, I know what you're doing is for my sake, but I know I'd rest much easier if I knew where you guys were. But, also, thank you, Luna, I know this is such a big responsibility for you. I don't know exactly what you have to do, but I promise that I'll… keep my promise and whatever happens, I know we can face it together._

 _Hope to see you soon, Noct._

He flipped the book shut and reattached it to Umbra's back. He gave the dog and a final scratch behind the ears. "Stay safe, buddy. Take care of them for me, okay?"

Umbra licked Noctis' hand and barked in response. He immediately put a finger to his lips, signalling him to be quiet. The dog tilted its head at him and then trotted off. Noctis shook his head in bemusement as he stood up.

He reentered the hotel room as quietly as he could and climbed back into the bed next to his best friend. Prompto stirred beside him again, eyes fluttering as Noctis pulled the covers over himself. "Noct? What's up?"

Noctis shook his head as he laid his head down on his pillow. "Don't worry about it."

Prompto glared at him tiredly for a moment but then he suddenly fell back asleep, too exhausted to inquire what his friend was up to and Noctis chuckled to himself as he closed his eyes. Moments like these would've seemed insignificant but, to Noctis, this sense of normalcy was more important than he thought.

Despite the fact that they were now in the midst of a war and possibly fulfilling a prophecy that had been in the making for thousands of years, Noctis knew that they had to make the best of what they had now.

After all, as a prince, he knew full well that an easy life wasn't a luxury they would always have.

The sound of the curtains being pulled back and the shining of sun assaulting his eyes tore Noctis away from his precious sleep. He groaned in annoyance and pulled the covers over his head.

"Good morning, lazybones!", Ruby exclaimed in a singsong voice.

Noctis groaned again and rolled away so that he wasn't facing the sun, now noticing that Prompto wasn't next to him. His frustration grew by the minute when someone wrestled the covers from him and looked up to Iris holding them in triumph.

"Seriously, what's the big idea?", he asked.

Ruby practically jumped on the bed to shake her brother so that he was fully awake. "Well, while _you_ were sleeping the day away, everyone went out to have some fun."

Noctis ran a hand through his dishevelled hair. "Why didn't anyone wake me up before?"

Iris rolled her eyes. "Oh believe me, Ignis tried, and then Yang tried and then-"

The young king held up a hand to cut her off. "Alright, I get the idea." He yelped out in surprise when Ruby roughly pushed him out of the bed. "Okay, okay, I'm up!"

"Good.", Iris said as she clapped her hands. "Because we're heading out today!"

Noctis didn't have a chance to respond as Ruby enthusiastically pulled him to his feet and the two girls were already rushing out of the door.

"Hey, at least let me get ready first!", Noctis exclaimed.

* * *

 **So this was a very Noctis-centric chapter but next time, we'll have some time with Ruby and Iris and the return of a familiar face! See you guys next time!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Sorry for the wait, thanks for being so patient!**

 **Note: because of an oversight on my part, an extra part has been added to the previous chapter of the group going after another royal arm.**

 **With that out of the way, enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to © Rooster Teeth and © Square Enix respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

"Ooh, ooh, what about this one, Noct?", Ruby piped up amongst the crowd. The king rolled his eyes when his sister picked up yet another piece of jewellery. This particular necklace she picked up was a vibrant red.

"Uh, no offence, Ruby, but I think your outfit's already got a lot of red going for it."

The princess pouted and tossed it back onto the table it was on. Iris nudged him in the side playfully. "Wow, Noct, you could at least _pretend_ that you're having fun."

He chuckled embarrassingly. "Sorry." The younger Amicitia's attitude was a complete contrast to what it had been the night before. She didn't know how her night went after she left their hotel room and Gladio went after her, but she definitely seemed to be in higher spirits that morning. Of course, Noctis wanted to make sure that she was alright but at the same time, he didn't want to say anything that would accidentally upset her.

"You gonna tell me what's bothering you?" His attention travelled to Iris, who was still engrossed in whatever she was looking at.

"Uh, what?", he replied, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Iris rolled her eyes. "Come on, Noct, we've been friends since we were kids. I can tell when something's wrong."

Was he seriously _that_ easy to read?

Noctis scratched the back of his head nervously. Well, he was backed into a corner, no use trying to weasel his way out of it. "I, uh, just wanted to know… how you were doing, you know, with… Clarus?"

The lines of Iris' face softened and she looked down nervously. "It's still all so surreal. Still can't believe we've all lost so much in such a small space of time. But I'll keep on fighting and I know Gladdy is already. He may not show it a whole lot but he's just as torn apart about all this as everyone else. When we were younger, we couldn't seem to comprehend how our dad could dedicate his life to protecting one person. But he accepted the risks of being a Shield. I know he would've carried his duty out bravely and with pride."

Noctis felt his heart go out to the younger girl. She was only a couple years younger than Ruby and she too had lost a parent. He commended her for her bravery heart, that she was able to keep her emotions in check despite the chaos in the world. He gently a hand on her shoulder. "Clarus was a good man. I know he would've wanted nothing more than to keep you guys safe."

Iris smiled gently. "Thanks, Noct. And I know that Gladdy would work just as hard to be a great Shield for you."

He spread his arms out nonchalantly. "I'm still standing, so he's doing a pretty good job so far."

She giggled softly. "I guess that much is true."

The two of them exchanged words as they looked around the market place for Ruby. The princess emerged from the crowd and enthusiastically held up something in front of Noctis. "Look what I got, Noct."

The king groaned. "Ruby, what did I say about the red? That thing is going to blend in with your clothes, no one's going to see it."

Ruby rolled her eyes and tied the necklace around her neck. "What can I say, Noct? The deed's done."

Iris shrugged. "I think it suits her."

The princess crossed her arms smugly. "See?"

"Iggy's not going to be happy once he sees how much you spent on that thing.", Noctis replied in a no-nonsense tone.

"Why don't you let me handle that?" With that out of the way, she waved them over. "Come on, we've still got all these other places to look at!"

As she trotted away, Iris chuckled again. "Aww, look at her taking on responsibilities."

Noctis whistled lowly. "Don't push it, Iris. Taking it one step at a time."

* * *

Meanwhile, Yang and Prompto had gone on their own way from Ignis and Gladio, who were looking after Talcott. The strategist had talked about getting an early lunch but no one missed the disapproving look on his face when most of what they found was fast food. The two blondes peeled away from the small group to carry out their own bout of browsing around the stores. They had a good laugh themselves, as this was the first time they had a proper break from fighting. Cor had told them to get their heads on straight as soon as possible and, even though they were all up and fighting, they still had some issues to sort out.

Yang could tell when every now and again she'd see Prompto's smile fall whenever he looked at his phone. She never pressed him for his change in attitude but she had a small idea as to what it was about. However, didn't want to pry into his personal business but her concern grew after each time he did it. There soon came a moment when she couldn't ignore it any longer.

"Hey, take a look at th-" She stopped mid-sentence when she turned for see Prompto with a more solemn expression than before. Yang sighed and walked up to him.

When he saw her approach, Prompto immediately pocketed his phone and flashed a smile. "Hey, what's up?"

Yang crossed her arms. "You know, you don't have to hide anything, Prompto. You can talk to us about anything."

Prompto scratched the back of his head. "What? What gave you the idea that something was up?", he laughed nervously. He knew Yang wasn't buying it when he saw her incredulous look. At that, Prompto sighed heavily and avoided Yang's gaze. "Still haven't heard from my parents."

The princess' previous stern expression morphed into concern. Prompto hadn't spoken much about his parents after the fall of Insomnia and they rarely brought it up. Then again, the other guys barely talked about their relatives lost in the invasion. Yang had chalked it up to them dealing with the issue by themselves… but maybe that wasn't the best way to go about it.

"I keep trying to call them, send them messages, everything.", he said quietly. "It's probably 'cause their phones are destroyed. But I thought they would've at least tried to contact me."

A feeling of sorrow began to sink into Yang's gut. They all knew that Prompto's relationship was distant given how much they worked, but they also knew how much they loved their son. If they did survive the invasion, Yang knew that they would've searched for a way to call straight away.

Now she could understand where Prompto's concern was coming from.

"W-what if…", he trailed off. "What if they didn't make it out?"

Yang couldn't tell what was worse: hearing proper confirmation that someone you loved was gone or never being able to get closure. With a heavy sigh, she placed a hand on Prompto's shoulder. "Listen, I can't say for certain if they're okay or not. And I'm not saying that you shouldn't keep looking if that's what you want. But what I am saying is that you shouldn't torture yourself over it. It's not fair on you and your parents wouldn't want that for you.

Prompto nodded in understanding but still kept his gaze low. "But what if I never hear from them?"

To Yang, it took a while to come up with an answer that Prompto would want to hear. But the real answer was obvious to her. She lifted up his chin so that he was looking straight at her. "We'll all be there for you. And we'll listen whenever you want to talk. I can't promise that it'll be easy, not by a long shot, but I can promise that we'll all be together no matter what. And we won't let those Niffs hurt anyone else, we'll fight in their honour."

Tears began to form in Prompto's eyes but he wiped them away before they could fall. He smiled gently. "Thanks, Yang. I needed that."

Yang smiled back. Prompto was always their bright optimistic and, after the invasion, it seemed like he was trying his very best to keep everyone's spirits alive. To the point where he wouldn't talk about his own issues. It was important for him to hear that he could talk to them about anything he wanted. She pulled him into a one armed hug. "No problem."

The two of them stayed like that for a moment. While they were still dealing with their emotions, they were still allowed to show their vulnerabilities once in a while. When they pulled away, Prompto gave a shy smile.

"I know we shouldn't ruin the moment, but I have to ask…"

Yang rose an eyebrow. "What?"

He walked a couple of steps towards a small table and grabbed two small items. "Which hat just screams 'I'm heading off on a daring adventure to save the world'?"

She put a finger to her lip. "Hmm. Definitely the bright and feathery orange one. You could definitely make someone's eyes bleed with that thing."

Prompto burst out laughing. "Done!"

* * *

The two blondes walked up to Ignis, Gladio and Talcott, who were sitting around a table. Prompto waved as they approached the small group. "Hey, guys. Whatcha talking about?"

"I was telling the guys about the legend of the sword.", Talcott replied enthusiastically.

"A sword?", Yang asked.

Talcott nodded. "Behind a waterfall."

"Not too far from here, apparently", Gladio added.

"We think it may be another Royal arm.", Ignis said.

Prompto crossed his arms. "You sure?"

Ignis nodded. "Quite sure."

Yang looked amongst the group. "Definitely something worth telling Noct about."

"Well, then, let's get going.", Prompto said and everyone followed his lead.

* * *

When Noctis, Ruby and Iris made their way back into the Leville they saw the rest of the group. "There you guys are.", Gladio said.

"What's up?", Noctis asked.

"I think Talcott has information as to where to find the next Royal arm.", Ignis said to the three newcomers.

"Really?"

"Yeah!" Talcott came from behind Jared. "Legend says that it's behind a waterfall!"

"Tone, Talcott.", Jared said in a displeased voice.

Noctis put his hand up before he could respond and placed the other on his shoulder. "It's not a problem. Great job, Talcott."

He smiled brightly. "You're welcome, Prince Noctis."

Prompto clapped his hands together. "So, who's up for a little sword hunt?"

The rest of the group nodded in confirmation expect for Ruby. "Actually, I think I'm gonna hang back with Iris."

"You sure?", Gladio asked uncertainly.

Ruby nodded. Normally, she would've jumped at the chance to take part in the action and fighting but, even though Iris had reassured everyone that she was fine, Ruby still wanted spend time with her friend. After the invasion, she felt that she would've needed someone for support and company, which would hopefully create a sense of normalcy that they had lost. She didn't know how long it would be until they would be able to just be normal kids again.

"Yeah, I'm sure.", Ruby replied.

Iris happily wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder. "Sounds good. Guess we'll be able to have more fun."

Noctis nodded in understanding and turned to the rest of the group. "Looks like it's just us."

* * *

After the group had gone to find the sword, Ruby and Iris decided to head back out for lunch and pick some things up for Jared and Talcott. Even though it had only been several days since the last time they spent time together like that, the invasion had made it all seem like a long time ago. Iris seemed so settled into Lestallum and knew her around the town that it was almost as if she had been living there for ages. Given how they had lost their homes, it was vital that they needed some sense of comfort and security.

However, that wasn't a luxury that she, her siblings and her friends could afford to have.

Iris skipped happily as they walked. "Can you believe this place? It's so much different than back home!"

Ruby smiled as enthusiastically as she could. "No doubt about that. Seems like a completely different world since we've never been outside the city before."

"Exactly!", her friend exclaimed as she threw her hands up.

Ruby stopped in her tracks for a moment. Before they could at least try to act that things were still normal, she thought, there were still some things that they had to clear up.

"Hey, Iris.", she called out, but then stumbled over her words when her friend turned around to face her with a concerned expression. "I'm really sorry about your dad and, well, about everything."

Iris frowned. "What do you have to be sorry for? None of what happened was your fault and I definitely don't blame any of you guys for it."

Ruby wrung her hands nervously. "I-I just… can't help but feel bad. Maybe if we weren't sent away, things could've worked out differently."

"Ruby.", she sighed. "You shouldn't feel guilty. What happened was nobody's fault except the Empire's." She continued speaking before Ruby cut cut her off. Like I told Noct, my dad made his choice in taking the risks and made the best decision they could."

"You sure?", she asked uncertainly.

"More than sure."

"Thanks, Iris.", Ruby sighed in relief.

"What about you?", Iris asked innocently.

"Huh?"

Iris nudged her lightly. "I'm not the only who's lost someone."

"Uh, well… it was definitely hard at first. Still is, for that matter. But I'm working through it with the help of the others. We all are."

"That's good. Still glad that you're all finding the strength to fight on."

Ruby rolled her eyes as the two of them rounded a corner. "We kind of have to. No way we would let the Niffs get away with what they di-"

She was cut off when she bumped into someone. She stumbled back slightly but someone caught her wrist. "Excuse me!", she exclaimed.

"No, no, no, forgive me for my carelessness." That voice sounded weirdly to Ruby. "Oh, it's you again."

Ruby regained her composure but was caught off guard when she recognised who she bumped into. The strange man from the Quay. "Uh, yeah."

The purple haired man straightened the hat on his head. "Yes, I remember you, my dear. What a small world it is, isn't it?" The way he spoke set Ruby on edge.

When neither Ruby or Iris replied the man kept smiling at the two of them. "Well, I do hope _Her Highness_ is adjusting well despite what happened in Insomnia."

His smile didn't falter as the two of them flinched at that. He placed a hand over his heart, bowing deeply. "Don't fret, Highness, your secret is safe with me."

Ruby looked down, refusing to meet his eyes. Something about the man definitely didn't sit right with her. "Y-yeah, uh-"

A slight chill ran down Ruby's spine. All of a sudden, she didn't feel all that comfortable standing around this man and unexpectedly grabbed Iris' arm so that they could start walking away.

"Well, we gotta get going." She didn't wait for either Iris nor the man to say anything in response. They were already several steps away when he called out to them.

"Farewell, ladies!", he called out as they passed him.

When he was gone from their sight, Iris leaned in to ask, "What's that guy's deal?"

Ruby shrugged. "Beats me. We all met him once at Galdin Quay. I can't explain it, but something about him rubbed us the wrong way."

Iris laughed breathlessly. "I can see why."

An unsettling pause hung between them for a moment.

"… so lunch?", Iris asked.

"Yeah.", Ruby replied. "Lunch."

* * *

Noctis stumbled when the group glided down yet another icy slope as they descended further into the cave that supposedly housed the royal arm. "When will this end?", he asked, clearly frustrated with the lengths they were going to for this.

"Tell me about it.", Prompto replied. "I swear, my back's gonna be a block of ice by the time we're done with this."

Ignis rose an eyebrow at him as he brushed himself down. "I highly doubt it will come to that."

"Still…", Yang said. "No offence, Noct, but your ancestors could've chosen a spot that wasn't, you know, infested with daemons"

"No use complaining 'bout it now.", Gladio responded. "Would you rather leave the sword behind?"

Yang shrugged. "Fair point."

"But the whole 'no daemons' thing still sounds pretty good, though.", Prompto muttered.

Ignis huffed as he drew his sword. "Well, it's like what Gladio said. There seems to be no point on complaining about it."

As soon as the words left his lips, an Arachne descended from the ceiling, screeching at the group. The daemon went to take a stab at Noctis with one of its spider legs but managed to roll out of the way so that Gladio could swing his sword at the monster. The king stumbled next to Ignis chuckled sarcastically. "Still think there's no use complaining?"

"It's a daemon that's also a spider.", Prompto said after he opened fire at the creature. "I think that warrants a complaint."

Ignis merely sighed and rolled his eyes in response and went to slash the daemon with his daggers. As he was fighting, Yang fired herself towards the Arachne with enough force to kick the daemon a couple of steps. With the monster temporarily caught off guard, the blonde took the opportunity to deal several blows and kicks before the daemon launched an electrical attack. She narrowly avoided the blast and jumped out of the way so that Noctis could warp strike in order to weaken the monster further.

The daemon shrieked once again and fired another attack at the group. Prompto just about dodged the blast but was winded from having to avoid all of them. "This thing is not making it easy for us, is it?"

Yang breathed out heavily. "Then how do we make it easy?"

Noctis chuckled and summoned a fire attack. "Level the playing field." Before anyone could say anything in response, he set the flames upon the monster. The Arachne stumbled around blindly for a moment, its cries threatening to deafen the group.

"Bit of warning next time.", Gladio shouted over the shrieks. However, no one had time to respond as the Arachne lunged for them again. All of them dodged the attack and Noctis teleported to a nearby wall away from the Arachne and immediately went to strike the monster again.

The rest of the group continued their own attacks and when Yang launched herself to deliver a powerful kick, Noctis immediately delivered an final array of flames. Gladio and Ignis used this opportunity to hit the monster and, soon after, the Arachne cried out as it finally disintegrated into nothing.

"Please tell me that's the end of it.", Prompto groaned.

Yang matched his attitude. "Oh, I wish."

* * *

The daemon ambushes didn't end after that, groups of Imps, Flans and more Arachnes interrupted their venture into the cave and the group's patience and endurance was wearing thin by the minute. When they finally reached the room that housed the royal arm, one more obstacle stood in their way. Those obstacles in the form of an Mindflayer and a small army of Imps, to be exact.

The Mindflayer flung a tentacle at Prompto and the gunman yelped as he ducked down to avoid its attack. "Seriously, what is it with these weird looking daemons?", Prompto scoffed.

"Then let's kill it so you don't have to deal with it anymore.", Gladio responded, trying to coax him back into the fight.

"Don't have to tell me twice.", Prompto said, readying his gun.

Gladio chuckled and swung his great sword at the daemon leaving Noctis with the opportunity to warp strike towards the Mindflayer. He was able to make several hits before he was thrown back forcefully. He flew back causing him to hit the icy wall and then fell to the ground. Noctis moved slowly as pain radiated across his body. That was definitely going to leave a bunch of bruises. He was tempted to pull out a curative to heal his injuries but he couldn't afford to use up their supplies; they had to be used for more serious injuries.

Before he could finish his thoughts, Ignis was at his side, slinging an arm under his shoulders and gently pulling him to his feet. "Are you alright?"

Noctis winced when pressure was put on his injuries. He looked ahead to see Gladio, Prompto and Yang finishing off the fight. The three of them were dealing with the fight on their own and he couldn't even shake off a simple hit. His entire body ached but he managed to muster a lopsided grin. "Y-yeah, I'm fine."

When he tried to stumble away from Ignis, the bespectacled man placed a hand on his chest. "It's okay if you need leave the fray for a moment."

The king shook his head. "Seriously, I'll be fine."

Ignis sighed and forcefully shoved a curative into his hand. Already Noctis was feeling the ache leave his body but he couldn't help but feel guilty. This royal arm was his responsibility, so he should've been the one fighting. "You're health and wellbeing is my priority, Noct. If anyone gets hurt, they shouldn't be afraid to step away if they need to."

Noctis smiled meekly. _Always taking care of me._ "Thanks." Ignis nodded supportively in response.

A surprised shout caught their attention and the two of them turned to see Yang and Gladio deliver the final hits, causing the Mindflayer to fade away like the Arachne did. The cry came from Prompto when one of the tentacles fell limply to the ground with a squelch near his foot. "I don't even want to know what that stuff was."

Despite the fight ending, Yang fidgeted nervously. "Guess we better get that sword and then get out of here." She nodded towards the door but refused to actually look at it. When Noctis walked over to them, she looked him over. "You sure you're up for it?"

Noctis frowned. He could understand his sister being concerned for his injuries, but he didn't see any reason why he would be unable to gain this royal arm. "Uh, yeah. Of course I am."

Yang didn't respond as he entered the tomb.

After the first couple of times, Noctis got somewhat used to the ghost weapons 'piercing' him through the chest. Still, he couldn't help but place a hand over where it hit him. He turned around, ready to tell the group it was time to leave when he saw that Yang's back was facing him.

"Yang?", he asked uncertainly.

After he spoke, he noticed how her shoulders sagged slightly and heard a small breath escaping her lips. "You done?", she asked.

Noctis was taken back slightly. "Yeah, its over."

With that, Yang strutted out of the tomb. "Good."

The king looked to his friends and they shared the same perplexed look that he had and three of them follow Noctis out of the tomb.

"Yang?", he asked again.

The blonde sighed. "I know you said… _that_ doesn't hurt, but I still don't like looking."

"Seriously?", Noctis asked incredulously. "That's what you're getting worked up about?"

Prompto shrugged. "I mean, I can understand where she's coming from. That sort of thing can make a person paranoid. Like, what if it hurts you for real?" Yang winced at that and the rest of the guys sent glares at him. "Yeah, I heard that, shutting up now." He sounded deflated with guilt after realising what he said.

Noctis sighed and put a hand around her shoulders. "Honestly, Yang, I'm fine, you have nothing to worry about."

Yang avoided her brother's eyes. She wished that his confirmation would've been enough to quell her anxieties but she still couldn't get that unsettling image out of her mind.

Gladio turned to face Noctis. "You know how you're always worried about Yang's power hurting her? I think she feels the same about you and the royal arms."

Noctis looked at Yang, shocked. "But I'm fine."

"Still doesn't put me at ease.", Yang replied, shoving her hands into her pockets.

Noctis walked closer to her, crossing his arms. "Now you can see where my concern comes from?"

Yang rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Yeah, yeah, I get it."

"But the difference is that this is something I have to do. You can choose whether or not to use your power."

"Well, if I'm given a choice to help my family or not, I think you know which one I'll choose."

That caught Noctis off guard. It wasn't what he considered her response to be but it now put everything else into perspective. If he was in her position, he would make the exact same decision. "R-right." He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Look, I know neither of us can promise that we'll ever let up about our side of things. I get why this is so important to you."

"And you know that I'm not getting hurt by this. But I get that it's something to used to. Even I'm still trying to."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

With crossed arm, Yang looked to the ground and rocked back on her heels, deep in thought. "How about this? I'll accept your side if you'll accept mine?" Even with her serious expression, she slyly held up her pinky.

"Are you serious?"

Prompto shoved his shoulder jokily. "Come on, Noct. Don't baby your sister."

Noctis groaned and avoided eye contact as he linked his pinky with Yang's. "We are literally making a pinky promise."

Ignis hummed in response. "The sentiment still remains."

"Fine.", Noctis sighed. "But I'm still gonna keep an eye on you. I'm just thinking about the best for you."

Yang smiled solemnly at him. "Now you're starting to sound like a certain someone."

Noctis chuckled a little in response since he knew how Yang was trying her best to make light of the situation. "You think so?"

"Yeah. Just hope dad knows that we're doing our to take the kingdom back.", Yang said, looking down at the ground and kicked a small rock.

"I'm sure your father will be proud of what you're all doing."

"Let's hope so.", Noctis mumbled so quietly that it must've been for himself. "After everything he did for us, I don't want to let him down."

Yang thought back to her conversation with Prompto. She had been so focused on her family's grief that she didn't think to talk to any of the others. "I know you guys have also lost people important to you. And I also know that there's nothing we can do to undo that but I want you all to know that we'll do all we can to make things right."

Prompto looked between the two royals, furrowing his eyebrows. "But I hope that you two and Ruby don't think that we hold any of it against you."

"You sure?", she asked.

"Definitely.", Gladio agreed. "We're all smart enough to know who's really to blame."

"And you're by no means alone in your endeavours.", Ignis reassured them "We'll support each other no matter what and we'll find a way to put things right together."

Yang smiled at his reassurance. Despite circumstances that had forced Noctis to take on such a massive and dangerous role, he still decided to persevere for the sake of their kingdom. As much as she didn't want her older brother to get hurt because of this, if it was what he wanted to do, she couldn't force him to do otherwise. However, Lucis was all of their kingdom too, so if it was Noctis' responsibility as king to take the kingdom back, then they would stand by him no matter what. Just because he was the king (the Chosen King, at that), it didn't mean that he had to take on the responsibility on his own. Yang had to admit, it made her feel slightly out of her element as she didn't know what she could do to help. But until she figured that out, she would stand by her family no matter what came their way.

Who knows, perhaps that's all they needed.

* * *

 **Did have more planned for this chapter, but then all this talk about feelings happened and I didn't want to keep you all waiting even longer, so the plot will pick up next chapter. See you then, thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 9

**So sorry for the longer wait, but thank you all for being so patient with this! A little nervously about this one, but hope you guys enjoy it nonetheless!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Final Fantasy XV and their respective characters and stories. They belong to © Rooster Teeth and © Square Enix respectively. This is not endorsed by Rooster Teeth in any way. Views, opinions, and thoughts are all my own. Rooster Teeth and RWBY are trade names or registered trademarks of Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC. © Rooster Teeth Productions, LLC.**

* * *

When the group exited the cave, ready to head back to Lestallum, Noctis fell to his knees with a strangled shout.

He cradled his head as distorted images flashed through his mind, a deep voice muttering something in a language that he didn't understand. An image of something burning pierced through everything else he saw and it now felt like his whole body was on fire. However, the sensation was gone as quickly as it came. Everyone was huddled around him in concern but Noctis struggled to hear any of their voices.

Until he felt Yang roughly shake his shoulder. "Noct? Noct! What's wrong?!"

Noctis found it hard to form words that would reassure his sister. He had just eased her concerns about him using the Royal Arms and now here he was, on the ground in pain. When the feeling subsided, he managed to cough out, "I-I'm fine."

Prompto rose an eyebrow. "Are you sure, dude? Because it didn't sound like it."

The king waved him off and stood up, but went so quickly that he felt lightheaded. He stumbled slightly but Ignis kept him stable. "Noct, can you tell us what that was about?"

He shook his head. No, he didn't know what that was about. He was fine one second and then the next he was in pain. Nothing like that had ever happened to him before and he didn't know what it was that caused it. Once he was ready to give his answer, something else left his lips. "The Disc of Cauthess."

His sister and friends all shared confused looks. "What?", Yang asked.

"I saw the Disc of Cauthess.", Noctis repeated.

"Uh, any idea why?", Gladio asked uncertainly.

Noctis shook his head tiredly. "No idea. Just came out of nowhere."

Prompto laughed nervously. "Okay, that's definitely worrying."

Ignis put a supportive hand on his shoulder, frowning deeply. "Are you certain that you're alright?"

"Yeah, at least, I will be.", Noctis replied, gently pushing his friend's hand away. "It's just a headache now."

Yang shook her head in disbelief. Just how much was going on with her brother? "Yeah, no, stuff like that isn't _just a headache_.", she stated bluntly. "You're gonna have to be careful until we find out what caused this."

Noctis nodded. He was just hoping that, whatever this ordeal was about, it wasn't too much of a threat. "Got it."

Convinced that their king was no longer in any immediate danger, the group began to make their way back to Lestallum.

* * *

As Ignis was driving the Regalia back to town (because he was not trusting Noct behind the wheel after what had happened), every now and again, he would cast a worried look towards Noct through the rear view mirror. What had happened to him earlier was definitely not normal and he had an itching feeling that this wasn't the end of it. He made a mental note to look more deeply into the matter once they were back.

"You know, the situation is already weird enough without you doting on me every second.", Noctis said, breaking the silence. Ignis looked at him through the mirror and the king met his gaze. "I'm not oblivious, you know."

"Forgive me for not brushing off this abnormal circumstance.", Ignis responded with a nod of the head. "So much is already going on, we do not need you falling ill on top of it."

Prompto looked between the king and the advisor. "Uh, in case you haven't noticed, this isn't a normal type of unwell."

"All the more reason to check out that Disc.", Gladio grunted.

Noctis shrugged. "Whatever."

Yang rose an eyebrow. "Don't say that when you're crying out in pain again."

"I wouldn't call it 'crying'."

"Sure.", Yang chuckled.

* * *

When the group made it back to the Leville, Ruby and Iris were hanging out in the reception with Talcott. Ruby caught sight of them and waved them over. "Hey guys, found the tomb?"

Noctis nodded and grinned. "You know it. You really know your stuff Talcott."

The boy flashed a proud smile. "No problem, Prince Noctis."

The king opened his mouth to speak, but residual pain from his previous headache spiked through his head, low intelligible murmurs echoing.

Ruby frowned. "Noct? What's wrong?"

He shook his head but Prompto led him to a chair so that he wouldn't fall over. "He had this sort of weird vision earlier." He eyed his friend suspiciously. "Looks like it hasn't stopped."

"Turns out it was about the Disc of Cauthess.", Gladio informed her.

 _Well, that escalated quickly._ "Really? Honestly, why does all the interesting stuff happen when I'm not around?" The group turned to look at her and Noctis sent her an unamused glare. "Okay, focusing on the wrong details.", she sighed. "Any idea why he's having these visions?"

Yang shrugged. "Got me.", she muttered. _The world's magic really did work in mysterious ways._

Ignis straightened his glasses. "I suggest that we head over to the outlook to investigate."

"Then let's get going." Noctis went to stand up but he felt another sharp pain and the voices grew much louder than before. He began to sway slightly and Prompto pushed him back into the chair.

"Yeah, I don't think so, buddy."

Noctis looked up at his friend. "Huh?"

"I think it would be best for you to stay here, Noct, while we investigate the nature of your headaches.", Ignis said.

"What? Are you serious right now?"

Ruby crossed her arms and shot her brother a stern yet amused look. "Not so nice, isn't it?"

* * *

Noctis groaned as he laid down on the bed, trying to massage the pain in head away. However, whatever he did seemed to encourage the sensation even more. He slowly sat up from the bed to see Ruby and Iris sitting at the small coffee table playing cards and chatting, like they always did whenever they hung out together. It reminded him of what their childhoods were like amongst the probability of war hanging over them. Nonchalantly, he summoned his sword, feeling the weight of it in both his hands. It was hard to believe that he had accumulated so many ancestral weapons in just a matter of days. To think that he was going around the world, taking up his ancestors' arms from centuries ago.

"You okay?"

His head snapped up to see that Ruby and Iris were now staring at him. Noctis chuckled to himself, wondering what must've been going through their minds if they saw him summon his weapon. "Yeah, just… thinking."

Ruby chuckled and got up to sit next to her brother on the bed. "I can imagine how overwhelming it must be. I mean, you're literally holding your family's legacy in your hands."

Noctis laughed again. "That's one way of putting it."

"But…?", Iris drawled out.

"Kinda makes me feel… smaller in comparison."

"How so?", Ruby asked.

"Well, my ancestors were revered for being brave fighters and noble rulers along with these amazing titles… and then there's me. Wonder if they see me worthy as king."

Ruby wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "Noct, I'm sure your that all of your ancestors felt the same way when they were your age. But you're already working so hard to take back the kingdom, that definitely means something!"

Noctis scratched the back of his head nervously. Was he really working that hard? He had always looked up to his father growing up. Despite all that he had to give up for the sake of his kingdom, Noctis always hoped to become a courageous and resilient leader like his father. He never expected the title to be forced onto him so soon, but Noctis wanted to live up to his family name to the best of his ability. "I guess."

"You guess?", Iris scoffed.

Ruby shoved him lightly. "Give yourself more credit than that!"

Noctis gave a slight laugh. "I'll try."

"Hey.", Ruby said. "Don't even think about taking all of this on by yourself. I, and everyone else, will be with you every step of the way.", she stated determinedly. Amongst everything that happened in their lives, Ruby always had the support of her friends and family. A part of her speculated that she always got a lot of the support and care because she was the youngest sibling, despite them knowing that she was just as capable of taking care of herself. However, with what was being thrusted upon them, Ruby now had to be there for them just as much as they were there for her.

Noctis opened his mouth to respond to her kind words when Ruby's phone went off in her pocket. She gave a sheepish look as she pulled it out to answer. "Yep?"

"Hey." It was Yang. "So, we got some good news and some bad news."

Ruby shifted nervously in her spot. "Huh? Is everything okay?" The question made Noctis and Iris frown at her worryingly.

"Oh, yeah. Probably wasn't the best way to start things off.", Yang chuckled over the phone. "Good news, we know how to stop the headaches."

"Great!", Ruby exclaimed, looking to Noctis, who looked utterly confused without knowing the proper context. She then paused. "The bad news?"

"The person who offered to help us…", Yang groaned.

"Well, I will pretend to not be offended about being called 'bad news', Your Highness.", a familiar voice chimed in.

 _Seriously?_

 _Creepy purple-haired Quay guy?_

"Oh, you have _got_ to be kidding me."

* * *

After filling Noctis in on the situation, he and Ruby said that they had to meet up with the group as soon as possible and Iris reassured them that she'd be okay with Jared and Talcott (not to mention that apparently said that 'there was no way' that his 'little sister was getting pulled into matters this big'). Nevertheless, the two royals felt prepared to face what laid before them. The two of them made their way to the outlook to see Gladio and Ignis conversing with the purple-haired man with Yang and Prompto standing beside them. However, the expression on the latter two's faces looked as if they would rather be anywhere else at that moment.

When the man caught sight of Ruby and Noctis approaching, he waved them over. "Oh my, being graced by the presence of all three royals of Lucis once again. Such an honour."

Noctis blanched. Seriously, who talked like that? "Yeah, sure. So we were told you know something about our… situation, mister, uh-"

The man waved him off. "No need for formalities, call me Ardyn.", he said with a smirk. "And that is correct! Your little headaches are merely affect of the Archean summoning you to his resting place."

Well, Noctis definitely wouldn't call the headaches 'little' but that was besides the point. "Summoning me for what?"

Ardyn shrugged nonchalantly. "That's for you to find out for yourself." He turned swiftly on his feet. "I doubt your retainers have told you, but I have offered to personally escort you there myself."

Noctis looked to Ignis, who mumbled, "I'm afraid so."

He sighed. "Unless you guys have a better idea.", he asked to his friends and sisters.

Gladio shot him a sideways glance. "Look, he won't stay around for long. Just until we reach the Disc."

"And it's not like we're gonna take our guard down.", Prompto added.

Noctis looked to Ruby and Yang, who both nodded in agreement. "It's kind of our only option here, Noct.", Yang finished.

Getting escorted to the Disc seemed like a generous offer but something seemed about him seemed to rub him the wrong way. Also, the way that Ruby seemed to be avoiding eye contact and communication with the guy altogether did make concerned. But, again, what other choice did they have? It was just for a while and then they would be back on track.

* * *

A while actually seemed to mean spending a night in a caravan with Ardyn. By the time they were heading off and up the road, the sun was beginning to set and (apparently) the best course of action was to make camp for the night and finish their journey in the morning. After dinner, the group sat around the table outside the caravan though Ardyn seemed to be keeping to himself. However, when Ruby turned to look at him she found Ardyn watching over them.

She leaned in to whisper to Ignis. "I'm pretty you always warned us never to talk to strangers."

Ignis sighed lightly. "As much as I don't desire to trust him, he's merely our way of reaching the Disc. Once we're there, he'll have no reason to stay with us."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Would've preferred a map."

Yang frowned at her. "You okay?"

Ruby nodded slowly and rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, yeah, I think so. Just don't feel so… comfortable about this situation. Something about this just seems… weird."

Her older sister sighed and then wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You and me both.", she whispered closely to her.

"How precious.", Ardyn said, interrupting the two sisters' exchange. "The bond between siblings is such a sacred connection." The interruption startled the group after Ardyn had kept to himself for most of the evening. Yang placed a hand over her heart. "Oh my, someone seems easily startled."

Noctis sent the older man a cold stare at the way he was speaking to his sisters. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to demand him to just stop talking. However, Ignis discreetly putting a hand on his grounded him. They couldn't afford to make any rash decisions that would lose them their way to the Disc.

"Perhaps it is merely the fall of Insomnia that has, how do you put it, set you all on edge.", Ardyn continued.

Noctis balled up his fists from under the table. _Too far, you jerk. Too far._

"Who knows?", Ardyn asked to the nighttime air. "Maybe the rise of the Empire will finally give the people a peace of mind."

Noctis scoffed incredulously. "You cannot be serious."

"Very.", the man replied with a smug grin.

"Do you honestly think that the Empire will give people a 'peace of mind' after everything they've done? All the people they've killed?" Noctis wasn't yelling but everyone could tell that his anger was bubbling so close towards the surface. Someone, he didn't know who, told him to calm but Noctis didn't listen.

"It's called a difference of opinions.", Ardyn retorted.

It was now Prompto's turn to scoff in disgust. "There's difference of opinions and then there's just plain idiotic." Once the words left his mouth, out of nowhere, he yelped out in pain. "Ow!" He looked to Gladio. "What was that for?!"

However, Ardyn wasn't fazed by the slight outburst. "Nonetheless, it must be hard to take back what once belonged to you and keeping what is valuable to you."

No one knew what to say in response to that. Just how much did Ardyn think he knew about them?

All of a sudden, Noctis felt a slight chill on the back of his neck and his hand slowly went to rub the sensation away but that did nothing to quell his nerves. Without warning, he stood up from his chair and began to storm off. "I'm gonna go for a walk."

Gladio was on his way to follow the king. "You sure that's a good idea. It's getting dark and-"

Noctis held up a hand and kept on walking, not looking back at the group. "I'll be fine."

The group watched Noctis walk off until he was out of sight and the rest of the group all shot momentary glare at Ardyn both the man in question didn't seem fazed by their reaction.

Yang looked to Ignis. "You think he'll be okay?"

Ignis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He opened his mouth to answer but Ardyn interrupted once again. "Oh, I'm sure His Majesty is simply coming terms with the fact that a huge political position has been forced upon is shoulders. Such a thing to experience all alone."

"He's not alone!", Ruby immediately snapped. The outburst surprised the rest of the group since the younger princess hadn't said much earlier but, given what Ardyn had said, it was understandable that she would be annoyed by that remark.

"Ruby.…", Ignis warned her.

She pushed her chair back with a scrape. "I'm going to bed." She entered the caravan and closed the door with a slam.

Yang was caught off guard by that reaction. _What brought that on all of a sudden?_ She understood that they were all under a lot of stress and pressure but she didn't expect her sister to have that sort of reaction. Perhaps everything that had happened over the last few days were starting to catch up to her.

"Ah, youthful innocence.", Ardyn continued. "Such a rare little thing in a time of war."

"Do you _ever_ shut up?", Prompto asked, clearly annoyed with the man, only to have him kicked from under the table again.

However, Ardyn didn't seem to have acknowledged his comment. "Her Highness seems to be very faithful in the idea that dear brother will save the world form the devastation of the Empire." The way he talked as he knew any of what Ruby felt began to anger Yang. He, a complete stranger, had absolutely no right to make assumptions about her. "That everything will simply work out and go back to the way before."

He titled his head nonchalantly towards Yang. "It's so beautifully tragic, isn't it."

Now not being able to keep her anger in check, Yang slammed her hands on the table and shot up from her chair. She had to calm her breathing down, but everything Ardyn had been saying were rubbing her the wrong way. She looked him straight in the eyes, hers glowing their rare fiery red. Had it been anyone else, Yang probably would've intimidated someone. Ardyn, however, looked _amused_ at her little stance.

"Your temper seems to be quite unbecoming of you.", was all he said in response.

Yang scrunched her eyes shut. This guy was clearly trying to get under their skin for some reason. But she couldn't let her anger get the better of her. Ardyn would be gone by tomorrow, so there wasn't any point in making a scene with him. She let out a low sigh. "I'm going to bed as well."

Muttering a goodnight to her friends, Yang entered the caravan as well, smiling lightly when she saw Ruby already huddled under the blankets, fast asleep. Being careful not to wake her sister, Yang gently eased herself in the bed next to her. She slipped under the blanket, although Ruby had seemed to take up most of the cover. Yang shook her head in bemusement and didn't have it in her to disturb her slumber.

However, once she laid her head down on the pillow, she noticed something odd about her sister. Her normally peaceful face held a slight grimace, making Yang think that she was probably suffering from another nightmare, even though Ruby was writhing around or making any distressed noises. Frowning at that idea, Yang gently stroked Ruby's hair in an attempt of comfort. Even if she wasn't suffering from a nightmare, Yang still felt that everyone, especially her little sister, needed all the love and support they could get. The fall of the kingdom and the death of her father made Yang realise how important it was to protect those important to her. Especially now that they were on a dangerous adventure.

Movement cut off her thoughts and she saw Ruby lean into Yang's touch and the younger sister let out a gentle breath. The grimace on her face was now gone and she much more relaxed than before. Yang smiled at the sight and placed soft kiss on the top of her head. With her nerves and anger lightened, Yang was finally able to relax and, soon after, fell fast asleep.

* * *

By the time nighttime came about, Noctis was making his way back to the caravan. Ardyn's words kept spiralling around in his head and Noctis began to realise that his walk to take his mind off everything was failing miserably. It made him think even deeper about his current situation and the responsibility that was left in his hands. He had both the weight of the kingdom and the world resting on his shoulders and, here he was, dragging his friends and family along with him. Noctis knew that things were going to get riskier the further they travelled, but he didn't know what he would do if those important to him got hurt.

Or worse. He had already lost so much, he voiding afford to lose anybody else just because he had a responsibility as-

Noctis growled as he forcefully pushed those thoughts down. He placed his hands over his ears in a desperate attempt to just stop thinking about those possibilities. He knew his friends and were more than capable of taking care of themselves and he wasn't going to abandon them so easily. They were in this together, whether he liked it or not. Letting out a sigh, Noctis looked up at the sky and frowned.

When had it gotten so dark? Had he been out for that long? Everyone was probably in bed by now and Noctis couldn't help but feel guilty for ditching them so suddenly. With that thought in mind, he immediately made his way back to the caravan. Noctis was surprised, however, to see Prompto outside and leaning on the door of the caravan. He was looking up through his camera, probably trying to see if he could get a shot of the night stars.

When he looked down he caught sight of Noctis approaching. "Oh, hey man! You alright? You disappeared for a while."

Noctis waved him off. "Ah, don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Prompto rose an eyebrow. "You sure? 'Cause it would totally be okay if you weren't, we all agreed that guy was being a jerk."

A chuckle escape Noctis. "Yeah, I know. Just had to… think about some stuff for a while, though." Prompto frowned at that but didn't ask for any further details. If Noctis didn't want to talk, then he wouldn't force him. Noctis swiftly changed the subject. "So what you doing out here this late?"

Prompto shrugged. "Figured I could, uh, get some cool night shots. Looks nice at night, you know?"

"Uh, yeah.", Noctis replied, though not so convinced by his friend's statement. "Prompto, what are you really doing out so late?"

The photographer sighed and rolled his eyes. "Alright, I got worried after you were gone for so long, so I decided to wait up for you."

"Really?", Noctis asked, perplexed. He didn't think him going off like that would've seemed that big of a deal.

"Yeah, the others were concerned after you stormed off and didn't come back for a while, so I just wanted to make sure you came back alright."

"Uh, thanks, but you guys didn't have to worry about me. I mean, yeah, there's a lot of stuff going on, but I know

"You got that right.", Prompto said determinedly with a slight chuckle.

With nothing left to say, the two of them went into the caravan, careful not to disturb anyone.

* * *

The next morning Noctis woke up with Prompto's arms wrapped around him. He groaned internally, since he had no way of telling whether or not the photographer would cuddle someone in their sleep. Noctis didn't throughly enjoy his personal space being invaded like this but he figured that he should've seen this coming. He tried his best to pry his friend's limbs form his body but to no avail. Prompto mumbled something in his sleep.

Noctis groaned out loud. "Prompto, seriously…"

He muttered something again. "Five more minutes."

The king sighed. "No. Off. Now."

Despite still feeling groggy from just waking up, Noctis managed to muster up enough strength to force a Prompto off of him. The photographer was rolled across the bed, the movement causing him to wake up. "Huh, Noct? Wha-?"

Noctis rubbed his sleepy eyes. "Sorry, you wouldn't let me go."

Prompto shot up. "Huh, what?"

A voice cut the two of them off. "You two done?" They turned to see Gladio looking over them with his arms crossed. "Get up. Iggy has already made breakfast and we want to head out as soon as possible." Noctis pulled the cover over his head, refusing to get out of bed. "Oh, nu-uh.", Gladio retorted and threw the cover off the bed.

"Ugh, seriously.", Noctis scoffed, throwing his hands over his face.

Prompto yawned and climbed over Noctis and out of the bed. "Come on, Noct. Up and at 'em!" He grabbed Noctis' arm and began pulling him out of bed.a

"Fine, fine! I'm up!", Noctis yelled. He swung his legs over the bed and pushed himself off. The three of them exited the caravan and saw Ruby, Yang and Ignis sitting around the tabes eating breakfast.

Noctis and Prompto sat down with them. The king looked around nervously. "Where's, uh, Ardyn?"

Yang swallowed her food and nodded ahead of her. "Hanging out in the gas station."

"Uh huh. Sure.", was all Noctis replied.

"Are you alright, Noct?", Ignis asked. "You were gone for quite some time last night."

"Yeah, just needed some time alone."

Ignis nodded in acknowledgment. "Well, if you need anything, just let anyone of us know."

"You got it.", he said as he grabbed a plate of food.

Ruby poked the remnants of her food half-heartedly. "Any idea what it's going to be like once we get to the Disc?"

"Beats me.", Noctis admitted. "No idea what the Archean might want from me."

"Guess there's only one way to find out.", Ruby said enthusiastically.

Noctis hummed at her affirmation. "Just hope it's nothing too drastic."

"What is it?", Yang asked. "Headache again?"

Noctis shook his head. "No, it's just that… something doesn't feel right." He shook his head again. "I don't even know what I'm talking about."

"Well, we'll keep an eye on you in case anything goes south.", Yang said.

"As long as you take care of yourself as well-", Noctis began to reply.

Yang sighed. "I know, I know. We won't let our guard down."

"Excellent decision, Your Highness." Ardyn's voice seemed to have been heard from right behind them. "Nothing like the support of one's fellow comrades."

He and Noctis' eyes met and the king couldn't gauge what the man was thinking or what point he was hoping to make. Suddenly, Noctis seemed to have lost his appetite and pushed his plate away. "Let's just a make a move already."

Gladio raised an eyebrow. "You sure that you're ready?"

"Wouldn't be asking if I wasn't.", Noctis replied, his voice not wavering.

Prompto shrugged. "Well, you're technically our boss."

Ignis rolled his eyes. "That is one way of putting it."

Ardyn clasped his hands together happily. "Shall we be off, then?"

Noctis nodded. "I guess."

The group continued following Ardyn's car, still struggling to gauge what the older man sought to gain from helping them. Also, based on the conversation they had with him the night before, he seemed quite dedicated in talking about still sore topics of discussion for them. However, they all kept telling themselves that, once they reached the Disc, they wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

When it looked like they were about to reach the entrance, Ardyn parked his car to the side, allowing Noctis to park the Regalia and Yang to pull up her bike. They all watched Ardyn intently as he managed to gain them passage into the Disc.

He began turning his car around and momentarily stopped so that he could face Noctis. "I bid you farewell, Your Majesty. And your royal retinue, course."

He didn't give him a chance to respond and immediately took his leave. "Hopefully that's the last we'll see of that guy.", Noctis stated.

Yang scoffed. "That's one thing we can all agree on."

Ruby kept her hands planted on her sister's shoulders. "We better head inside. See what's been going on with Noct."

Prompto looked to the king. "Then lead the way."

As they drove through, the group took in the overwhelming sights that the Disc of Cauthess brought them. They didn't expect anything less than the resting place for the Archean, one of the Astrals of Eos.

Prompto snapped several pictures as the zoomed down the path. "Wow.", he breathed. "The more you travel, the more you discover about the world."

Ignis nodded. "Certainly a rare experience."

Before the conversation could continue, Noctis gasped and slammed his foot on the brake. The force threw those in the car forward and they were thankful for the seat belts. The sudden action came as a surprise to Yang and had to manoeuvre her bike so that she didn't hit the Regalia.

She and Ruby immediately hopped off as the guys exited the car. "Noct? What was that?", Ruby asked.

"That's what we would like to know.", Gladio said, looking at Noct, frowning with concern.

"Uh, yeah, buddy. Were you trying to kill us?", he joked nervously.

Noctis, however, wasn't joking around. He looked to each person with a grave expression. He shook his head. "Titan's here, I think he's trying to speak to me."

Prompto's eyes widened. "Dude, seriously? About?"

Noctis shook his head again. "I don't know. But I know it's about something."

"Maybe this wasn't a wide idea.", Ignis said.

"No.", Noctis immediately replied. "We didn't come this far to just quit." That didn't seem to ease his friend's concerns. "I'll be fine." As if to convince everyone, Noctis began walking away from the car.

"Well.", Yang shrugged. "If he's sure…"

The group continued down the path, keeping their guard up since they didn't know what lied ahead of them in terms of Titan. However, they will all kept a close eye on Noct just in case he got disoriented again.

"Huh.", Noctis said. "Didn't expect that."

Laying in front of them was another king housing another royal arm. Noctis gently placed his hand on the table and read the inscription. "'Blade of the Mystic'." He frowned. "Wonder what he was known for."

Ruby walked up next to him, reading the inscription as well. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, 'the Mystic' sounds kind of vague. At least with the others, you have an understanding of what they known for."

Prompto shrugged. "Must mean he was special to have a name like that."

Ignis hummed. "Perhaps."

Yang looked at the royal arm and then around the area. "Wonder why his blade was placed here."

Gladio grunted. "Really is different than the other kings."

"Certainly one shrouded in mystery.", Ignis nodded in agreement.

Noctis turned away from the group and looked over the king again. He bowed his head in a moment of respectful silence before stretching out his arm to call upon the blade. Once again, it flashed and glowed in a luminescent light before floating in the air and flying straight through Noctis' chest, the other royal arms circling around him. He looked to see Ruby staring at the small spectacle in surprise and them to Yang. While she had made her peace with Noct's decision to gather the royal arms, she still hadn't grown accustomed to the sight of him being stabbed but, instead of exiting the perimeter although, she opted for turning away.

 _Well, it's a start._

After that was out of way, a violent quake shook the ground beneath them. At the same time, a high shrill drowned out the sounds surrounding Noctis. The pain in his head caught him off guard and barely had time to register the ground fall from beneath him.

He faintly heard Ruby call his name.

* * *

As Gladio saw Noctis and Ruby tumble down the rocky incline, he immediately jumped after them without hesitation. Yang surged forward. "Guys!"

She was about to follow suit when Ignis threw an arm across her chest to pull her away from the edge. "Stay back!", he warned. With them losing track of half of their group, they couldn't afford to get anymore separated. However, Yang couldn't help but feel the crushing concern of not knowing they were alright.

"Then what do we do now?", she asked.

Prompto looked around. "There should be a way of reaching them."

Ignis nodded and let go of Yang. "Tread carefully, then.", he said to the both of them.

Yang gave a breathless laugh and looked back over the edge. "I'm more worried about them."

* * *

Noctis sighed as he, Ruby and Gladio traversed through the scenery. The king kept a close eye on Titan, not understanding what the Astral was saying to him. "Would be much easier if we could understand him."

"Hopefully, once we're closer we'll know exactly what he wants with you.", Gladio suggested.

Ruby looked to her brother. "Still no idea on what that might be?"

Noctis nodded and looked back at the Astral. "Besides, things are obviously lost in translation right no-"

Just as he was about to finish his sentence, another tremor shook the ground, sending them tumbling down another cliff and straight to the Astral. Ruby grunted out, "Seriously?"

Without any warning, the Archean swung a giant fist at the trio and Gladio summoned his broadsword in an attempt to counter the attack. "Don't think he's up for a conversation, Noct!"

In response, Noctis and Ruby summoned their own weapons. "Guess there's only one alternative.", he replied, getting ready to counter another attempt.

Ruby aimed her scythe at the Archean's arm and began shooting in an attempt to weaken it. "You know, when I said that I wanted in on the action, this wasn't what I pictured!"

* * *

"Look!", Prompto gasped, pointing to the scene below them. The three of them had managed to find another way around in order to reach the other trio, only to find them at odds with the Archean.

Yang didn't hesitated as she jumped down. "We've got to help them!"

Ignis and Prompto followed suit and drew out their weapons after they landed. Once Titan's attack had missed them, causing his fist to hit the ground, Yang and Prompto unleashed their shots on the giant arm. Ignis went to stand protectively beside Noctis and Ruby. "Honestly, this is what happens when I leave you alone?"

After they dodged another attack, Noctis unleashed his ancestral weapons upon the Astral one by one, warp striking as he did so. Ruby clutched her necklace, allowing her to soar up into the air and land more shots as she fell. When she was close to reaching the ground, she quickly moved so that she didn't seriously injure herself when she landed.

This gave Gladio the opportunity to parry the next attack and Yang and Prompto used their respective weapons and techniques to deal more damage. They could see Ignis preparing an elemental spell and, after realising what he had in mind, they all followed suit. "Quickly, use it on the arm!", he exclaimed.

Straight after, the group followed the advisor's plan, all summoning the icy spell and aiming towards Titan. The attack stunned the Astral and seemed to be slowly moving his arm.

"Noct, now!", Prompto yelled.

"On it!" The words were barely out of his mouth as the king as he swung his sword at the frozen arm with a cry. The Astral's arms shattered to pieces, signifying the end of the battle.

Ruby sighed in relief. "Well, that definitely happened."

"Is everyone alright?", Gladio asked to the group.

"Nothing life-threatening.", Prompto replied.

"Same here.", Noctis added.

Yang was about to say something when tendrils of golden light began to spark from the Archean. Yang sighed. "What now!?"

The lights, without warning, spiralled around Noctis, sending a flash of white through his mind. However, it didn't give him the pain of the previous headaches. No, this was something… different.

 _Luna was standing before Titan, hand tightened around her Tridnet, conversing with the Astral. Weiss was standing beside her, with her rapier drawn, seemingly to defend her sister. They both had expressions of determination as Titan spoke._

Noctis was left confused as the vision ended. "Luna… Weiss?" More rumblings shook the ground around them but Noctis' hearing became muffled as a high-pitched whine and his head heavy. He heard someone speak to him but he struggled to focus on who it was. Soon after, the feeling of exhaustion became too much for him to bear and couldn't prevent himself from passing out.

Ruby's eyes widened as she saw her brother collapse to the ground and immediately rushed to his side. "Noct!" She began looking him over for any injuries when the light from Titan began to surround her as well.

 _It was late at night when a group of men were robbing the Dust store. She wielded her scythe with such precision to take out all of the thugs on the street. However, the fight was far from over. She couldn't let the rest of thecriminals get away-_

Ruby gasped the vision ended. _What was…? Who was…?_

 _How?_

 _Why?_

A fact. An event that she had no clue of quickly entered her mind, as if filling a gap. Something that Ruby felt that she wasn't supposed to know, but at the same time, it felt _right_. But why? Why- _how_ -did Ruby know something that she didn't even remember?

However, she had no time to ponder on what was going on in her mind when a sharp pain exploded across her mind and instantly felt her consciousness blackout. The last thing she heard was the thrum of some sort of machine.

* * *

Niflheim airships.

That was the last thing they needed. Yang tried to muster up the strength to rush over to her siblings, who seemed to have collapsed out of nowhere. However, it was as if her energy had been rapidly sapped out of her. Her vision faded in and out as she saw Ignis and Gladio sprint over to the two royals. She attempted to rise to her feet, but the struggle made her fall to her knees. She braced one hand on the ground to support herself and clutched her head in the other.

"Yang!", Prompto called out next to her. "You alright?"

She shook her head and pointed a trembling hand to her siblings. "W-what's wrong with them?"

She struggled to get to her feet again but Prompto supported her weight. "They're gonna be fine, trust me. They just… they…" He trailed off and Yang knew that he was just as confused as she was.

Her headache persisted and barely registered the airship landing near them. Her breath hitched as she felt her remaining strength waver. "No!", Prompto exclaimed. "Yang, stay awake!"

However, Yang didn't hear him. Her attention was captured by something else.

 _She was in a forest. Definitely one that she didn't recognise. She was fighting… a daemon? No, it didn't look like any daemon that she knew about. When had she been fighting a Grimm in the first place. Wait, a_ Grimm _. What was that?_ How _did she know that? The answer was blurry, at the back of her mind-_

The vision was gone as quickly as it came and Yang didn't have it in her to ponder on it in that moment. All her mind could wander to as she lost consciousness was the distinct memory of those Niflheim airships clouding the skies of Tenebrae.

* * *

 **Finally getting into more plot stuff** **! What do you guys think's going on? Hope you're enjoying what I'm bringing to this fic and that you enjoy what comes next!**

 **Edit: Applogies for the lack of update.**


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